


Once Upon a SHIELD

by AgentMaryMargaretSkitz



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Curses, Fairy-tale, Magic, Once Upon A Time AU, The Enchanted Forest, can you guess who is who, everyone in SHIELD is actually a fairytale character, no Hydra
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-16 14:50:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 45,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3492455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentMaryMargaretSkitz/pseuds/AgentMaryMargaretSkitz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time, in another land, an evil queen cast a terrible curse that sent everyone in it to a new land. The only hope is Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter, the Savior, sent away to the new world before the curse hit.</p><p>24 years later, Leopold Fitz finds a book in the rubble of a desk and discovers the truth. Can he find the Savior and get her to believe in the truth?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This all kind of started during my hiatus woes with Agents of SHIELD and Once upon a time last year. But when the latter returned and I watched New York City Serenade, I thought “0-8-4” when we saw what Walsh really was. Then the gears began to turn as I recollected Emma had magic in her since she was the product of true love. That’s when the idea hit me.  
> “What if everyone in SHIELD and a couple other people who had connections were actually characters from the Enchanted Forest, and Skye was the Savior?”
> 
> If you’re not familiar with the plot of the first season of Once, then it’s fine. If you are, then you can guess where I’m going to take this. Most of you will be able to figure out who is who in the Enchanted Forest. The main ships in this are going to be Skitz, Philinda, and Biospecialist. I plan on telling the story through flashbacks to the Enchanted forest and current time. There will be some Once upon a time references, and I’ll be happy if you find them!
> 
> THIS IS AN AU FIC TAKING PLACE AFTER 1X14!!!! No HYDRA will happen.

Prologue

            Nicholas ran into the room where Loki had been being held, feeling his heart sink. It matched the vision he had seen moments earlier as he worked to get the Helicarrier’s systems back online. The Asgardian’s cage was gone, there was a smoldering hole in the metal wall, and on the ground was Philip. He was getting paler by the moment, slowly sinking towards death.

_“No,”_ Nicholas told himself. _“Philip can’t die. He needs to be kept alive. He still needs to complete his role in the breaking of the curse.”_

“Sorry, boss,” Philip whispered, his lips stained with blood. “The god rabbited.”

“You’re going to be fine. Just stay with me.” Nicholas began to recite the incantation in his head. “Eyes on me.”

            The wounded man looked him in the eye, just as he needed to. He continued to babble a little more about the Avengers and how they needed something to bring them together before the spell took over. Nicholas exhaled as the tell-tale silver flash ran over Philip’s eyes that indicated the immobilization spell had taken over. The medics came up behind him and lifted Philip onto a stretcher. “He’s gone,” one of them said as he checked for a pulse.

_“Not gone.”_ Nicolas thought “ _Frozen.”_

* * *

 

            Once the battle had been won, Nicholas went into his office and pulled out a small case from his desk drawer. Inside was a small syringe filled with colored liquid. It was the key to saving Philip’s life. Thank goodness a lot of his stores had come with him to this land when the curse had hit, or he wouldn’t have the Lumpra blood with him. The blue-skinned creatures had long been extinct in their old world due to their blood’s healing abilities, but Nicholas had manage to preserve one of the last remaining ones in a state where he could use the creature’s blood without the risk of decay.

            The blood would be the first step to healing the immobilized man and bringing him away from death. Memories would need to be altered for many people, as no one would believe him if he told them the truth. Everyone who was going to be involved in Philip’s (or Coulson as he went by here) “resurrection” would get a memory implanted of how they completed the action scientifically. But Philip would receive a second memory overlaying the first; one of vacation somewhere beautiful perhaps? If he didn’t receive it, then the first memory would traumatize him too much.

            It was vital that Philip was alive, as the time had finally come. It had been an agonizing twenty-four years since they first arrived on this world thanks to the queen’s curse. She was still out there too, but he couldn’t find her. She’d somehow removed her face from his memories, allowing her to gain the upper hand over him. Somewhere out there, she was waiting, preparing to strike. And she wouldn’t stop until she finally succeeded in her quest to destroy them all.

* * *

 

_One day before events of “Pilot”_

“Just the cupcake?”

            Skye shifted uncomfortably under the cashier’s bored stare. What was wrong about buying a cupcake in the afternoon anyway? It wasn’t a crime as far as she was concerned. But the college-age girl with the pink nose ring in front of her seemed to think it was by her tone. That or she was trying to call her fat. Either way, Skye didn’t really feel like putting up with the girl’s crap.

“Yeah,” Skye flashed a smile at the girl. She didn’t return it as she opened the bakery case and plucked out the cupcake Skye was pointing at. “It’s kind of my birthday.”

            This made her look up with slight interest among the annoyance that Skye was beginning to think was a permanent part of her face. Silently, Skye cursed her big fat mouth at why she had just said this. She had no idea when her real birthday was, or even if she was ever given a real name. All Skye really knew about herself was that she’d been dropped off at St. Agnes Orphanage as a baby to grow up in the revolving door that was the foster system. Whoever had dropped her off left no information on her, so the nuns just set her birthday as the day she came into the orphanage and called her Mary Sue Poots, except for Sister McKenna. She had called her Skye as a nickname, which was a whole lot better that Mary Sue.

            She’d dealt with the system for as long as she legally could, and had packed up her meager possessions the moment she turned eighteen to set out on her own. Her first months alone were spent living a hand-to-mouth existence by hacking for people who needed help, like a new identity or an erased account. Skye had picked it up shortly before she left the system to look for any information on her birth parents and how she’d gotten on the steps of St. Agnes. Eventually, it led her to Rising Tide, who shared her dislike of hiding the truth from people. They took her in, improved her skills, and even spilt the dough with her if they got paid for something they’d done. Riding Tide also had her on/off boyfriend Miles, depending whether or not they were residing in the same area.

“Kind of?” The cashier sneered at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I don’t know what my real birthday is, okay!” Skye snapped at her. She didn’t like to think that her birthday was supposed to be on the day that she had been abandoned to the nuns. Legally, it was going to be her birthday in three months. However, for some weird reason, today just felt like it was her birthday and she felt the need to celebrate it.

            The girl’s face suddenly dropped into an expression of pity as she realized what Skye had said. Skye swore at herself mentally, regretting her outburst. Whenever she told someone that she had grown up in the foster system, they would always give her a sympathetic look or tell her they were sorry. Once, it had been kind of nice, but now it was bland and useless. Pity didn’t take away all those nights she cried herself to sleep because no one, probably including her parents, wanted her. Sorrowful looks couldn’t take away memories of the really bad foster homes and parents. “I’m sorry” could never replace the longing to hear “I love you.” from someone who truly cared about you and would never abandon you.

            The cashier put the cupcake in a small box, which Skye took as soon as she paid and walked out of the café as fast as possible. She made her way down the street to the alley where her van was parked. It had been her first purchase with the money she gotten through Rising Tide. The van was way better than an apartment considering she could pack up at any time to move elsewhere and not have to worry about rental agreements and all sorts of other paperwork. However, Skye knew she couldn’t live in there forever, and would need to figure out what she was going to do next. Rising Tide and Miles wouldn’t last forever; she’d need something else.

            Skye climbed in and open the box. The cupcake was chocolate and a bright red strawberry halve had been stuck into the white frosting on top. She pulled out a small candle with a blue star on it. She had long forgotten where she had gotten it, but that didn’t matter right now. It was stuck into the icing and lit with the lighter she had in her pocket.

“Another year, and the search continues” Skye whispered as she stared at the candle, thinking about her wish. Until now, she’d always wished her parents would find her. But this year….

_“Please let us find each other.”_ Skye thought as she closed her eyes and blew out the candle. When she opened them again, she reached for the little square that held the little information about her life. Maybe that one redacted document, the SHIELD one, could provide her more insight on her past. If she hacked into that faceless government organization and examined its archives, then perhaps she could find something on herself. Something that could bring her closer to her parents.

* * *

 

            Although she didn’t know it, the day Skye bought her cupcake was actually her birthday. Within a few days, her wish came began to come true when she was interrupted during her broadcast and fell into a world of spies and secrets. She didn’t know that in a few months, her life was going to drastically change and a battle would soon come. Change was coming for all of SHIELD, and she was the cause of it. Skye had a destiny to bring light back into the darkness that people had lived in for twenty four years. It would be in one of the darker hours that she would discover her story.

            It was a story that began many years ago, before her birth, in another land where the people she would come to know had once lived in happiness. Then one day, an evil queen cursed them, ripping the inhabitants away from their homes, everyone they loved, and their memories. The queen reveled in her triumph, and enjoyed the suffering of her enemies. But her victories, and her power, were threatened by the Savior. It was the Savior, daughter of two of her greatest enemies, who would return and defeat the queen, break the curse, and bring back the happy endings.

This is how Skye’s story began.

_Once upon time, in a land far away, a curse was broken by true love._


	2. A waking, a wedding, and a warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to be a flashback to the Enchanted Forest before the Curse hits. If you have ever seen the pilot of Once Upon a Time, you can guess what’s about to happen. The dialogue is going to be recognizable, but with a few changes. By the end of this chapter, you should be sure of the identities of a couple people. [Hopefully, you’ve all figured out Fury’s counterpart!] If you think you know who is who, let me know since I’d like to know if it’s easy enough to tell.
> 
> [ALSO, even though the name is different, it’s still Prince Charming from Snow White tale. Once upon a time has the same name for him in both worlds, and I’m just going to go with it too. The decision on which princess to use was hard for reasons you all probably know, but I decided I was overanalyzing it all.]

Chapter 1: A waking, a wedding, and a warning

_Enchanted Forest, 25-26 years ago_

“Hi-yah,” Prince Phillip urged his horse to go faster, even though they were already galloping quickly along the strip of road cutting through the forest. His mother’s ring, enchanted for him by Nicholas after Phillip had done him a favor, was glowing even brighter than before, signifying he was getting closer to his true love. He needed to get to her and wake her from the curse that her step-mother had put her under.

            In the clearing ahead of him, he saw a small group of people gathered around something. Upon reaching them, he leapt from his horse and ran over. He recognized Red, Hansel, and Hansel’s sister Gretel among them, as well as the dwarves who’d taken her in a long time ago. One of them, Doc he believed, stepped forward. “You’re too late,” he lamented mournfully. The others moved out of the way to reveal a coffin constructed from a fallen tree with a glass lid. Inside laid his beloved.

“No,” Phillip rushed forward. “No!” Through the glass, he could see her lovely face framed perfectly by her long black hair. She was so still, he actually wondered if she was really dead.

_“She’s not dead, only cursed.”_ He reminded himself, and remembered what Nicholas had told him. _True love is the most powerful magic of all. Its power can break any curse._

“Open it.” Phillip commanded, hoping the Dark One was right about the power of true love. If he wasn’t, and she didn’t wake up, then he didn’t know if he could live with himself.

“She’s gone. There’s nothing that you can do. I’m sorry,” growled Grumpy, another one of the dwarves. His eyes were slightly red, and Phillip remembered how his true love had once given herself over to the king’s soldiers so he could get away. She had been rescued later, but that was another story. What happened to her must have been hitting him especially hard.

“Please,” he turned from his love to face the dwarf. “At least let me say good-bye.”

            Doc nodded, and the rest of the dwarves removed the lid of the casket, exposing her to the rest of the world. A gentle breeze blew a strand of hair across her tan face, which Phillip tucked behind her ear. He leaned down and kissed her cool lips, praying she would awaken.

            A moment after the two’s lips connected, a pulse of light and strong gust of wind flew out from their point of connection. Phillip broke away, fearing the worst when he saw she was still unmoving. Had he been too late? Was she really dead?

            Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she gasped. A smile broke out across his face as tears of happiness leaked out of his eyes. Snow White’s breathing began to return to normal, and her gaze settled upon him, her cheeks once again rosy with life. He, her Prince “Charming”, had awoken her with true love’s kiss.

“You,” she whispered lovingly, her hand reaching up to caress his cheek, “Charming, you found me.”

Phillip chuckled. “Did you ever doubt I would?” he asked, helping her sit up, brushing fallen pine nettles from her elegant white dress that only magnified her stunning beauty. Snow always was beautiful, whether she wore a dress or breeches and a hunting coat.

“Truthfully,” admitted the woman, “The glass coffin gave me a bit of pause.”

“You will never have to worry about that ever again, Snow,” Phillip promised, kissing her again, “Because no matter where you are, I will always find you.”

“Do you promise?”

* * *

 

“I do.”

            Hearing him finally get to say those words to her filled Snow White’s heart with happiness. Ever since she had first laid eyes him, Snow White had fallen in love with Phillip, even if he had been pursuing her for robbing him of his mother’s jewels and selling them to a band of trolls. He’d caught up to her, fully aware that she was the exiled Princess Snow White, wanted for all sorts of false charges concocted by her step-mother. Together, they’d embarked on an adventure together and retrieved the jewels from the trolls, one of which was the silver ring with the pale blue stone set in it that she now wore on her ring finger. Even though they had gone their separate ways upon the end of the journey, neither of them could stop thinking of the other, and eventually their two individual paths crossed into one. Finally, they were getting married and preparing to embark on their next chapter in life together.

“And do you, Snow White?” the priest turned to her now, “Do you promise to take this man to be your husband and love him for all eternity.”

“I do.” She smiled at Phillip. At last, they were getting their happy ending.

            The priest had barely pronounced them man and wife when the entire hall erupted into cheers and applause. All of their friends were clapping and whistling, even Grumpy joined in with a little persuasion from Doc. Snow saw Red smiling happily at her, and Hansel gave her a wink. Jiminy Cricket, nestled on Hansel’s shoulder, appeared to be shouting something based on the way he was jumping up and down, but it was impossible to hear him over the din.

            She and Phillip were finally married! Snow White could barely believe it. After so many years of on run from the Evil Queen and her wrath, she never thought she would truly find happiness. Then she found Phillip, and everything changed. Snow turned her attention back to her husband (she could finally call him that!) and the two moved close toward each other.

            A loud bang announced the opening of the doors at the end of the hall, startling everyone. Snow White, Phillip, and the rest of their guests all turned to face the now-open doors. Standing in front of them was a woman wearing a jeweled black dress and a nasty smile. Gasps circled the hall as people recognized the evil queen, head held high as if she still owned all of them. Snow felt a shiver run down her spine, and grabbed Phillip’s arm. Why, of all people, was _she_ here?

“Sorry I’m late, dear,” her stepmother announced, smiling ruthlessly at the happy couple.

            She began to walk down the aisle leading toward the alter, flinging guards who charged at her out of the way with a flick of her wrist. Red drew her dagger from the fold of her cloak, and Hansel raised his bow, knocked with an arrow, at the queen as she drew closer.

“The Queen!” he cried, “Your Majesties, run!” Hansel let the arrow fly, but the woman waved her hand. The arrow stopped inches from her heart and disintegrated into ash.

            But Snow White would not run. Adrenaline surged through her body as she unsheathed Phillip’s sword and held it out in front of them. She would not let this horrible witch threaten her ever again. She had killed her father, banished her from the palace where she grew up in, tried to break her and Phillip apart countless times, poisoned an apple, and many other horrible things with the final goal of destroying both of her and Phillip. Snow White had had enough.

“She’s not a queen anymore,” cried the bride, “Just nothing more than an evil witch.”

“No,” Phillip placed his hand over the one she held his sword with, lowering it. “Don’t stoop to her level, Snow. There’s no need to.”

            Her new husband turned to the evil queen, who had stopped at the base of the steps leading up to the altar. “You’ve already lost. This is a waste of your time,” said Phillip as he slipped the blade from Snow’s hand. “I refuse to let you ruin our wedding.” He looked so intense right now, and it made Snow White’s heart flutter at him being so brave.

            She expected a fruitless attack on them and their guests, or at the very least a snarky comment. Instead, her stepmother smiled and started to laugh. She only laughed when she was planning something bad. Suddenly, Snow felt very afraid. She pressed tighter to Phillip, hoping the close proximity could calm her.

“Ruin this wedding?!” sneered the evil queen. “Oh, you couldn’t be more wrong, my dear. Quite the contrary, in fact. I’ve come to give to a gift.”

“We don’t want it.” Snow White gritted her teeth, The last ‘gift’ her stepmother had given her was that wretched apple.

“But you shall have it anyway,” the woman snarled before she began to pace across the side of the alter slowly. Out of the corner of her eye, Snow saw Red pull her dagger out further. Catching the younger girl’s eye, she shook her head and mouthed “No”. The last thing she needed was for the queen to hurt another one of her friends.

“My gift to you,” their enemy continued. “Is this wonderful, _happy_ day.” Her face contorted into a sneer. “Because tomorrow, my real work shall begin.”

Phillip exchanged a questioning glance with her. Neither of them knew what she was talking about.

“Soon, everything you love, everything _all_ of you love-,” she turned and pointed the now-frightened crowd here. “-will be taken from you forever. I shall rise in victory, while the rest of you suffer for the rest of your living days.”

“I shall destroy your happiness, if it is the last thing I do.”

            With that, the evil queen turned and strode down the aisle, back toward the open doors. Snow White shivered, trying to think what the queen was planning. Next to her, Phillip clutched his sword tightly. His eyes were full of anger. “Hey!”

            Snow watched as her stepmother turned around, surprised that anyone would be so bold. With a yell, Phillip launched his sword straight towards her. The queen cocked her head and laughed. Before the weapon could pierce her, the queen vanished in a wisp of smoke, taking Phillip’s sword with her.

            Gasps of horror rang out in the crowd instead of the expected clatter of Phillip’s sword. Snow White, who had stepped aside when her husband had thrown his sword, now drew close again to him. His strong arms wrapped around him, and she felt his heart beating wildly against his chest. “It’s okay,” he soothed as she whimpered quietly, “They’re only words. We’re going to be okay.”

            Snow nodded and relaxed a little in her true love’s embrace. They might be only words, but she would be haunted by the threat her step-mother had made to them and the entire kingdom for a long time.

* * *

 

            Wisps of smoke appeared in the chambers of the exiled queen. The sword lodged in the wall as she formed unscathed beside it. Her lip curled a little at the thought of her almost being skewered by her disgusting stepdaughter’s “Charming”.

            Sighing, she looked out of the window at the land below her. Though she still lived in the palace that she had when she first married the girl’s father, it had become a gilded cage. The spoiled brat she had once spent years pursuing with the intention of killing her had risen up and defeated her in battle. The girl and the fool who was in love with her had enlisted the help of Nicholas to cast a spell that prevented her from ever harming them in this land again.

But if they went to another land, then destruction of the two would be so simple.

            Finding the curse had been the loophole she needed to finally put an end to Snow White and Prince Charming. She had to prevent the possibility of her final destruction from ever existing. As long as those two idiots were together, then the possibility got greater every day. The sooner she could cast the curse, the safer she would be.

“Time to get to work.” Queen Victoria said to herself as she unrolled the scroll containing the ingredients for the curse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any ideas who Snow White and Prince Charming are? Review and tell me who you think they are, and how you guys like this!


	3. What's her name?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snow White worries about Victoria's words, a young boy catches a girl who falls, and more is learned about the curse.  
> I'm going to post as many chapters as I can right now. I'll be going covering the Enchanted Forest for the next few of them before jumping back to present day!

Chapter 2: What’s her name?

_“Tell me-what’s her name?”_ -Rumplestiltskin

_Enchanted Forest_

Snow White stood against the doorframe leading out to the balcony, looking out at the view. Down below in the gardens, the children of the palace residents were running about, playing a game of tag. She smiled as she remembered the happy days of her childhood, when her mother was still alive and everything was happy. Those were good days, and it was sad to remember them.

            A bluebird fluttered down onto the railing of the balcony. Snow gently laid her hand with the palm facing upward beside the bird, who hopped into her hand. Slowly, she brought the winged creature closer, using her other hand to stroke its feathers lightly. She had always had a special touch with animals ever since she escaped into the wilderness after her stepmother’s huntsman chose not to kill her.

 When she’d first been on the run from Victoria’s wrath, Snow White had survived on the berries that she knew were safe to eat, along with the occasional theft from a village f she was truly desperate. A month after she first set off, Snow had come across an injured fairy stuck in a trap, and freed her. With some supplies that she had stolen from an apothecary, she had helped treat the fairy’s wounds ad nursed her back to health. The fairy had been grateful for Snow White’s kindness, and they formed a close friendship with each other that turned into a blessing for the exiled princess. She learned more knowledge of the forest and woodlands and how to interact with the creatures that lived there from the fairy as they migrated from place to place to escape Victoria’s guards. She even became acquainted with the fairy kingdom, an event that later proved helpful when she and Phillip were battling to take back the kingdom.

But then half a year after Snow White had saved her life, the fairy sacrificed hers to the evil queen’s guards in order to let Snow escape. It was a sacrifice that Snow had never forgotten. After seeing someone die just so she could have a little more time to keep running, she had wondered if she would ever get a happy ending like the people in her mother’s stories would get. But now, she had Phillip, and they were finally able to live a happy life together without having his wicked uncle (the king) or her stepmother or someone else trying to tear them apart. Everything was peaceful, but how long could that peace last? Her step-mother’s threat was still on her mind after all those months ago. If what she had said was true, then there was so much at stake for her to lose.

_“Especially now.”_ Snow thought as she felt a little movement inside of her. She released the bluebird and placed her hand on her swollen belly. Finding out that she and Phillip were going to be parents had to be one of the best moments of Snow’s life. Her poor husband had practically fainted from excitement when she first found out, and he had been as eager as she had for the birth of the child. But as her pregnancy wore on, Snow’s fears for the future grew along with her child. No matter how many times Phillip had tried to reassure her, it never completely left her mind.

            The sound of approaching footsteps made her turn around. Phillip was standing there in the entryway to their child’s nursery. Snow White looked at him and smiled, hoping she could convince him that everything was fine and that she hadn’t been fretting again. “Hey.”

His blue eyes clouded with concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she lied.

“Is this about the queen again?”

            Snow White sighed and ducked her head, feeling slightly ashamed that she had been caught in the lie. Phillip came up beside her. “Snow, please,” he murmured, taking her hands in his own. “I can’t keep having this conversation with you. You have to let it go.” An excited grin stretched across his face as he gestured to the nursery. “We’re about to have a baby, sweetheart.”

Snow pulled her hands out of Phillip’s and walked back inside. “I know, I know,” she grumbled as she walked over to the crib, gazing about the nursery. The cream colored walls were dappled with colorful light from the stained glass panels at the top of the windows. A beautiful wardrobe was in one corner of the room, and Snow White had secretly been filling it with clothes for her unborn child. She wasn’t worried about getting the wrong kind of clothes, as she had a feeling that of what the sex of her baby was. Still, it would be fun for Phillip to be surprised, so she kept it quiet. Her eyes drifted up to the mobile of glass blown unicorns that hung above the crib. “But I just can’t stop thinking about what she said to us, and what it could possibly mean. It scares me.”

“That’s all she wants,” her husband said as he strode over to her. “But they are only words, Snow. Victoria can’t hurt us.”

Snow glared angrily at him. “She _poisoned_ an apple to keep us apart,” she snapped. Suddenly she just felt so frustrated that he didn’t seem to understand how worrisome their situation could be. “You have absolutely no idea of what she can do, of what I’ve seen her do!”

The faces of all the people she’d lost to her stepmother’s wrath flashed in front of her eyes. The frustration evaporated, and she felt incredibly vulnerable and fragile. It terrified her to think about the consequences that Victoria’s threat might have for her unborn child. “I’m scared Phillip,” Snow confessed, cradling her stomach while trying not to cry.

            Her husband’s arms wrapped around her instantly, and she couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. _“Damn hormones!”_ she thought to herself. Her emotions had been all over the place during her pregnancy. When she first found out, Snow White tried to keep them in check, but somehow it just made it worse. It had culminated to a violent outburst direct toward an arguing Red and Hansel.

“I-I-I-I’m s-s-s-sorry,” she blubbered after she’d calmed down a little.

“It’s okay Snow. We’re going to be fine,” soothed Phillip. “But I think that you need to hear more assurance about this. Is there anything that I can do to ease your mind?”

            Snow White paused for a minute and began to think. There were some things that could help, but they would provide her temporary relief. However, there was one option that could provide her with answers once and for all. Phillip wouldn’t like it though.

“Let me talk to him,” Snow said, looking Phillip dead in the eye.

He went rigid when he realized who she meant. “Him? Snow, don’t tell me you mean-“

Snow cut him off. “Actually, I do. Phillip, he can _see_ the future.”

“He’s in that cell for a reason. He is dangerous to others, and I can’t risk it.”

“Can you be certain that everything is going to be alright?” Snow asked angrily. “”Can you guarantee that our child will be safe, Phillip? Because he can.”

            Phillip pursed his lips. Snow looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Please, Charming,” she murmured, using the nickname she’d given him when they first met and he’d captured her in a trap. The nickname, once a term used to mock, was now a tender endearment for him.

“All right,” he sighed. “For our child, Snow. I’ll go tell the guards what we’re going to do.”

            Snow watched her husband, her Charming, exit the room to go and find the guards. A strong series of kicks came from her midsection. She wrapped her hands around her belly and smiled happily to herself. “Don’t worry sweetie,” she whispered to her bump. “Mommy and Daddy are going to make sure everything’s okay for you so you can be safe from the queen.”

A couple quick kicks was the response that she received, as though her child understood what she was saying.

“I’m sure everything’s going to be fine,” Snow said more quietly to herself, hoping that she could actually convince herself too.

* * *

 

 “C’mon Lee,” whined Grant, running around his older brother, waving two wooden swords around in the air. “One more battle. Mama won’t let Xander, and Lizzie don’t want to play. Pwease?”

 “No, Grant.” Lee bent down next to his six-year old brother, adjusting his tunic that he trained in. “I’ll play when I get back, but I gotta go to training. You want me to be a knight like Papa, right.” Grant nodded. “Then let me go, and I’ll play when I get back.” Lee promised, smiling at the little boy in front of him.

Grant pouted and crossed his arms. “But I’m gonna get boooooooored.”

Lee sighed. “Why don’t you go and play with the other kids? When I get done, I’ll find you and then we can play. Okay?”

The little boy thought for a minute, then smiled. “Okay.”

            Ten minutes later, Grant was running through the maze-like gardens of the palace, looking for a place to hide. The other children had decided they wanted to play tag, a game that Grant liked to play. Currently, he was hiding by a small stone ledge of a large island-like plot, hidden from sight by the long leaves of one of the plants growing out from the garden above. His strategy in this game was to hide from the other kids, which was paying off as all of them just ran by him without seeing him. It had been fun for a while, but now Grant was bored of it and wanted someone to find him. He wished Lee would get done soon so they could play knights.

            A small grunt sounded nearby, and Grant stuck his head out from behind the fronds to find where it was. A few meters away from his hiding spot, the culprit was pulling themselves up on a ledge, looking at a plant with beautiful yellow and orange flowers. It was a little girl who looked to be maybe two or three years old. Her curly brown hair was partly escaping from the ribbon it was tied up in. The hem of her dark blue dress was spotted with mud, and there were small muddy handprints on the ledge where she’s been climbing. She wobbled a little bit as she stood up on the ledge, but soon steadied herself and began to look at the flower.      

Grant was so focused on her that he didn’t hear the pounding of footfalls approaching until a little curly haired boy ran by screaming as Antione, the only other boy Grant’s age who lived inside the castle, chased him. Neither boy noticed Grant or the little girl as they passed through so quickly. However, the boy’s scream had startled the girl, causing her to stumble backward. Her foot caught on the hem of her dress and her arms flailed wildly in an attempt to keep her balance. Grant was already running out of his spot when she tumbled backward with a sharp cry. He stumbled forward to her, holding out his small arms to try and catch her so she wouldn’t be hurt. It was what Lee and Papa said knights did when a lady fell, and Grant wanted to be just like them.

The little girl ended up landing more on top of him than in his arms, and they feel flat on the ground.

“You okay?” asked Grant as he helped her up.

The little girl looked up at him with a bright and cheery smile. Up close, she was very cute looking with a few freckles on her nose and bright brown eyes.

“Yep,” giggled the little girl, clumsily brushing dust from her skirt. “You save me.”

Grant blushed. He felt like the heroic prince in the stories that Lizzie liked to have Mama tell them at bedtime. “I’m Grant.” He smiled at her. “What’s your name?”

“Jemma,” said the girl. “I like you. You save me.”

Twenty-four years later, he would save her again, though neither of them would remember the first time.

* * *

 

            Snow White and Phillip were being escorted toward the cell of their prisoner deep in the dungeons of the castle. One of the guards had detached himself form duty to take the king and queen to see the Dark One, and seemed quite cautious about going there. He had good reason, for the prisoner had once been (and still was) an incredibly powerful sorcerer. The entire kingdom had breathed easier since his capture for using magic for malevolent purposes.

“When we reach the cell, keep these on at all times,” the guard instructed the couple, passing them two dark brown cloaks. “Stay out of the light too. Do not let him see you, and absolutely under no circumstances should you tell him your names. If he knows your name, then he has power over you. You can’t let that happen, Your Majesties.”

Phillip looked over at his wife. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, concerned. “Snow, if you don’t want to, then we don’t have too.”

Snow White nodded as she tugged on her cloak. “Yes.” She wanted to know what needed to be done to keep her baby safe. But the prospect of hearing something terrible was almost enough to make her give up her quest for answers. Almost. “I can do it,” she told him quietly, slipping her hand into his own as they approached the cell.

“NICHOLAS!” the guard bellowed out. “I have a question for you, Dark One.”

            A nasty chuckle rang out from inside of the cell. The couple watched as the Dark One’s figure appeared in the light of the torches as he stepped closer to the bars. Snow White shuddered at the sight of the black eye patch with that brought out the horrible claw-like scratches on his skin.

“No, you don’t,” chuckled the prisoner, his remaining eye resting on Phillip and Snow. A wicked smile crossed over his dark features. “They do, though. Snow White and Prince Charming. What honor it is to have the king and queen visit me. Or are you finally going to let me out?”

“Not a chance in hell,” Phillip snarled. “After what you tried to do to that poor woman, you’re going to be in here for a long time.”

“Charming!” Snow elbowed him, and then clapped her hands over her mouth. But Nicholas already knew who they were, there was no hiding it.

            Nicholas simply gave a small chuckle and shook his head. One of the things Snow White disliked most about the sorcerer was his ability to brush off thing that could cause great trouble as though they were nothing. Maybe the Queen’s threat could strike some sense into him.

“Please, come into the light,” he drawled, beckoning them closer. “And take off those foolish cloaks. I’m feeling a bit insulted.”

Phillip and Snow obeyed, stepping closer and pulling off the hoods of their cloaks. Snow White looked at her husband and gave a tiny nod. Phillip nodded back, and shooed away the guard.

“We’re here to-“

“I know why you’re here.” Nicholas snapped. “Your wife is worried about the Queen’s threat. You, Phillip, are trying to give her false hope that it’s not going to happen, but she wants more.”

“It’s going to happen?” Snow felt like the ground was about ready to drop out from underneath her. “What-what is she going to do? Tell us!”

“Oh-ho, demanding now, are we?” teased the Dark One, earning him a dirty glare form the pregnant woman. “Well, I could tell you all I know…..for a price.”

“What do you want? Freedom?” Phillip clearly didn’t like the idea of letting the most dangerous man in all the realms run loose, but the safety of his son or daughter depended on his information.

“Freedom? Tempting, but not what I’m wanting.” Nicholas flashed another nasty smile at them “I think I’d much rather prefer, oh, the name of your unborn child.”

“Absolutely no-“

“Done,” Snow White cut off her husband and stepped closer to the bars. “Now what do you know?”

            The sorcerer leaned his head against the bars of the cell. “The Queen has created a powerful curse, and its arrival is coming. When it takes hold, everyone, and everything in this land will be sucked up, and placed in a prison, just like I am right now. But our prisons will be much different, much worse than this. We’ll be stripped of our memories, of everyone we love, and thrust into a new land. There we’ll suffer as time goes on, and on, never knowing who we really are. While all this goes on, as we wither away and die, the Queen and whoever she chooses to follow her will remain young and rejoice in their victory for eternity.” Nicholas gave them a look that could constitute for pity. “No more happy endings.”

“Can we stop it?” Phillip asked, a slight hint of desperation in his voice. “Can we do something, anything about it?”

“We can’t do anything, Princey.”

Snow White took a deep breath. “Is there anyone who can?”

“The little babe that grows inside your belly,” Nicholas pointed to her stomach. “That child of yours is our only hope. If you get the child to safety, away from here before the curse strikes, then on her…” he squeezed his eye shut for a moment in concentration. “Her twenty-fourth birthday the child will return. The child will find you.”

“And the final battle will begin!” he shouted before bursting into sadistic laughter.

“That’s it. We’re leaving.” Phillip tugged at Snow White’s arm to guide her down the hall out of the dungeons.

“Oh no, you don’t!” the Dark One waggled his finger back and forth. “I still need a name, dearie. We made a deal.”

“We won’t give it to you!” Phillip cried. “You can’t make us.”

“You’re right,” mused Nicholas. “But I can make the curse worse. This cell might restrict my magic, but I have my ways of making sure that the curse can NEVER be broken.”

Snow White gasped in shock, and Phillip turned pale. Nicholas smiled to himself. “So, what’s her name?”

“Her?” Phillip looked at Snow in puzzlement. “It’s a boy, right?”

            Snow White shook her head and turned to face the dark wizard. He was right, and she knew it. “She’ll break the curse. She’ll find us?” She wanted to know before she would hand over her little girl’s name. Especially since the name that she’d given her daughter was very special. A name that was meant to honor someone who had stayed by her side while she ran away from Victoria, and died so that she could live.

“She will,” Nicholas confirmed. “Now, what’s her name, Snow White?”

Snow held up her head, swallowing her fear. Her tanned skin almost glowed in the light of the torches.

“Skye,” she said, keeping her voice as steady as she could. “Her name is Skye.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooo! Leave a review and tell me what you think!


	4. A Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A plan is proposed to get the Savior to safety before the casting of the curse, and Snow White meets a little boy with a great destiny.

Chapter 3: A Plan

_“The future is written”-Snow White_

_“No. I refuse to believe that. Good just can’t lose.”-Prince Charming_

_Enchanted Forest_

“I say we stand and we fight,” Hansel declared, standing up. His right hand was gripping his bow tightly. “There’s the chance that we can stop her before the curse is cast.”

            Phillip looked at the young man and sighed. It had been two days after he and Snow had left Nicholas’s dungeon and tried to brainstorm of ideas that could keep Skye safe. When they had come up with nothing, they’d decided to expand their field of search by calling their closest friends into the war room. He’d told them all everything Nicholas had told him and Snow, and asked them if they had any ideas. So far, they’d been going back and forth for an hour with no progress.

“We can’t stop it, Hansel,” Phillip said to the youth. Nicholas was a lot of things, but a liar wasn’t one of them. He did tell the truth as it was. If he said that Victoria was planning to cast a curse that would sweep them away from everything they knew and loved, then it was going to happen. The only option now was to figure out how they could get Skye to safety before the curse hit. “Nicholas said that it’s going to happen.”

Hansel jutted his chin out. “We should at least try.”

“No, Phillip is right,” Jiminy Cricket piped up from the center of the table, where a large magnifying glass enlarged his profile. “Fighting will not solve anything. Giving into one’s dark urges never accomplishes anything.”

“And how many wars has that conscience of yours won? I’m thinking proactive here!” Hansel spat angrily as Gretel and Red wrestled him back down into his seat.

“Calm down, Hansel,” Gretel soothed her younger brother as Red gave his hand a squeeze.

The boy’s face relaxed and his tone softened into one of worry. “Look, we don’t know what’s going to be coming in this new world. What if there is nothing to protect us? We’d be on our own, just sitting ducks for the queen to pick off.”

“Why are we even arguing about what we could do?!” Snow cried out in exasperation. “There’s nothing that can stop this. It’s hopeless.”

Phillip turned and looked over at his wife in surprise. Ever since they’d left the dungeon, Snow White had been almost completely silent, speaking only when he’d asked her a question. He’d caught her crying a few times, and knew she was struggling with all the stress recent events had placed on her. Snow was a strong woman, but even the strongest had their breaking points.

“Hey.” Phillip knelt down next to Snow, whose hands were resting on her stomach. He took one of them in his own, and she looked over at him with sad eyes. “Don’t lose hope. We must have faith. Nicholas said she’ll be the Savior, and I believe she will.”

Phillip gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, and Snow smiled for the first time in days.

“So we need to find a way to protect your daughter?” Red asked, and Snow nodded. “Well, anyone have an idea?”

The room fell silent with everyone looking around to see if someone would speak up. No one did.

“There is something.”

A tinkling sound permeated the air as a blue object flew through the open window. All eyes were on the Blue Fairy as she hovered in the center of the table. Phillip saw Snow smile at the queen of the fairies, and remembered how she had been close friends with Snow’s mother. Snow had also come to know Blue when Skye (the fairy) had brought her to the kingdom and introduced her to the queen, who happened to be the elder sister of Skye. Phillip had met Blue more recently, when they were battling to take back the kingdom.

“Hello, Blue,” Snow greeted politely.

“Snow, Phillip,” Blue nodded at them.

“Do you know a way to get her to safety?” Phillip asked, rising from Snow’s side, though he still held her hand.

The fairy queen nodded and brushed aside a stray lock of dark brown hair. She waved her wand, and a sparkling image of a tree formed above her. “There is a tree,” she began.

“A tree?!” Hansel interrupted. “Let’s get back to talking about fight-” Red jabbed him hard with her elbow. Turning crimson, the ashamed boy ducked his head and muttered a quick apology. Everyone turned back to Blue.

“This tree is enchanted, and unfortunately, the last of its kind,” the queen continued. “If fashioned into a vessel, then those who are inside of it will be transported away from here. It will take them to the new land, where they’ll be safe from the curse. This is our solution. If we use it, then I can assure you, Snow White, your child will be safe.”

Snow’s smile stretched wider, and Phillip grinned at her as her eyes light up with hope. He gave her hand a squeeze.

“However…” Blue hadn’t finished. Her face and voice were now solemn. “All power has its limits, and this is no different. The tree has only enough magic for one.”

Phillip felt his wife’s hand slip out of his grasp as the meaning of Blue’s words dawned on him. He pressed his lips tightly together as the pieces feel into place. Snow was still pregnant, and if the tree was crafted into the vessel in enough time, then she could get away to safety with Skye before she was born. But he would be separated from his true love and their child for twenty-four years. He would miss out on their lives. He wouldn’t get to see his baby girl grow up.

But he had a duty as a husband and as a father to keep them safe. Phillip was willing do do whatever it took to keep the ones he loved safe. If that tree could protect them, then twenty-four years was a small price to pay.

He turned toward Snow again, but her chair was empty. Hansel, noticing his worried expression, pointed to the door, which was slowly swinging shut.

* * *

 

Snow White hurried down the halls in an awkward run/walk, trying to hold herself together. She couldn’t even bear to think about what Blue had said. If she went in that tree, then she wouldn’t see Phillip for twenty four years. She didn’t think she had the strength to raise Skye on her own without Phillip there by her side. She wasn’t strong enough to do it. She couldn’t do it alone.

As she rounded the corner, a sharp squeal sounded out as something ran into her skirts and bounced off. She bent down, which wasn’t an easy feat, to see what had collided with her. A small smile inched its way on her face when she saw it was a little boy. He looked to be about two or three, with a mop of dark blond curls and eyes that were the same shade of blue as the lake that bordered the palace grounds. When he looked up at her, he grinned.

“Hi!” he chirped happily, and Snow felt her smile grow even bigger.

“Are you all right?” she asked as she helped him to his feet. He probably was fine, but her motherly instincts had really begun to kick in more recently .

He nodded vigorously. “Uh-huh.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Snow said, smiling a little more.

“My name’s Leo!” The toddler announced, beaming at her. For a child so young and so small, his speech was quite developed to that of a four year old’s. “What’s your name?”

“Snow White.”

Leo blinked once before letting out a happy giggle. “That’s pwetty.”

“Thank you, Leo,” Snow White felt herself blush a bit. “What are you doing over here?” She asked gently. “Where are the other children?”

The little boy’s brow furrowed, and he looked at the floor. “I dunno. I wuz pwaying tag w’th Jemmy ‘nd Grantie ‘nd Annie ‘nd I wuz runnin’ cause Jemmy wuz it ‘nd I-I-I”

“You got lost?” Snow finished.

Leo nodded. “I dunno where they are.”

In the short time that she had come to know him, Snow White already liked Leo a lot. He was so friendly and sweet, and she really wanted to help him find his friends. “Would you like me to take you back to the other children?” she asked softly.

The smile returned to his face. “Yes, pwease!” he squealed. “Thank you!”

Grasping the side of the wall, Snow hoisted herself up to a standing position. When she was at her full height, Leo noticed the swell of her belly. The little boy’s eyes widened like saucers. “Are you fat?”

Snow burst into laughter at his question. For the past few months, she’d constantly been asking Phillip and everyone around her that exact question. Every time she asked it, she always was told that she wasn’t, but she still felt fat. Now, a toddler was asking her this, and she couldn’t contain her amusement. But he was giving her a puzzled expression, so Snow thought it best to explain her situation to Leo.

“Yes, I sort of am fat,” Snow admitted as they walked down the hall. When they found a bench, they sat down on it together. “But it’s because I’m going to have a baby. A baby princess.”

“A baby pwincess,” Leo repeated, his mouth forming an ‘o’ shape in amazement.

“Mm-hm”

“How’d she get in?” he asked innocently.

“Er, magic,” Snow said weakly. It was the first thing she could think of to say.

“How’s she gonna get out?”

Another awkward question. “Magic,” Snow said again.

“Oh, okay.” Leo smiled, then began to swing his little legs back and forth. “What’s her name?”

Snow sighed in relief at the easiness of the question. “Her name is Skye.”

“That’s a pwetty name too!” exclaimed Leo happily, bouncing up and down on the bench. “Can I meet her?”

Snow White swallowed the lump in her throat. She began to think about Blue’s proposal again and what it meant. If she went into that tree, then she and Skye would be safe. Phillip would insist she take it for…for their child. That’s why they had gone to Nicholas in the first place. To see if Skye would be safe. The tree was the way to keep Skye safe in the new world, and she would do anything to keep her safe. They would search the new world together to find Phillip so Skye could grow up with her father and mother. She and Phillip always said they would find each other, and Snow knew she would always find him. You couldn’t keep true love apart.

Her hope in using the tree began to grow. After Leo was back with the other children, then she would go tell Phillip that she wanted to do it. She would go to the new world through the tree, and she would find him. Just like he had found her and broken the sleeping curse. She had faith in their love.

“I don’t know, Leo,” she said to the boy next to her. “You see,  she and I are going to have to go away for a long time to keep her safe. Maybe one day, you two can meet.”

“Weally?” Leo’s eyes danced with excitement, and he leaned toward her bump.

“Hi Pwincess Skye,” he whispered. “My name’s Leo. I dunno if you know this, but your momma’s weally nice. You’re gonna like her a lot. But she says you hafta leave to be safe. That makes me sad, ‘cause I weally wanna meet you. But she also says that I could meet you again one day. I’m gonna pwotect you from all the bad people, pwincess. I pwomise I will. I’ll always pwotect you, Pwincess Skye.”

Skye began to kick as soon as he finished speaking. Leo’s tender speech, added with her hormones and daughter’s reaction, made Snow White burst into tears. She threw her arms around Leo and pulled him close into a hug. “Arwe you okay?” he asked, concerned.

Snow nodded, wiping her eyes. “I’m fine, Leo,” she reassured. “Skye really liked what you said. When you meet her someday, she’s going to like you a lot. And it’s because you are such a kind and sweet boy, Leo. Please, stay like that. Okay?”

Leo nodded. “Oh-kay.”

Snow stood up, and helped him off the bench. “Now let’s go find you friends. I’m sure they’ve missed you.”

* * *

 

“Charming!”

Phillip heard the shout barely a second before his wife tumbled into his arms. He’d been wandering throughout the halls to try and find her, but to no avail.

“Snow.” He smiled when he saw that she was smiling bright and cheerily in spite of her red rimmed eyes. “Are you okay? You disappeared after Blue came, and I was getting worried…”

“I’m fine,” she said before her expression went serious. “Charming we have to do it.”

“Do you mean the tree?” Snow nodded. “Are you sure?”

She nodded again. “I was afraid to use it earlier because I was being selfish. I wasn’t thinking about Skye’s safety; I was thinking how I couldn’t raise her alone. But then I remembered why went to Nicholas in the first place, because it was-”

“For our child,” He finished, then looked at her beautiful brown eyes. “Snow, I want you two to be safe. My two girls are my top priority right now.”

Tears sprung into her eyes, and he wiped them away. “I love you,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. “I’ll look for you. We’ll find you in the new world, I promise we will.”

Phillip smiled. “I love you too,” he replied, kissing her again. “You’re going to be a fantastic mother.”

* * *

 

It took twenty-four years for the family to truly find each other again. However, they didn’t know it yet. No one who suffered under the curse knew it.

Until one day, three months after Snow White and Prince Charming almost lost their child to one of Victoria’s men, when a book was found by the one person who had something others lacked.

Belief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and tell me what you think! You guys like Little Leo?  
> Also, anyone able to identify new characters?


	5. The Book in the Desk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Snow White recieves a special gift in the past, and Leo Fitz finds a curious item in the present that changes his life.

Chapter 4: The Book in the Desk

_“That a good book?”_

_“This? It’s more than just a book.”_

_-Once Upon a Time_

_Enchanted Forest, 25 years ago_

_“Snow?” A knock sounded on the door to the nursery. “Phillip?”_

_The couple turned from where they were watching Gepetto and his carpenters work to construct a wardrobe out of the enchanted tree Blue had told them about. It was sad for them to look around the nursery and know that it would never be used, especially for Snow. Skye would never get to spend one night, take her first steps, say her first words, or prepare for her first ball in here. Still, the wardrobe would keep Snow White and Skye safe, and that was much more preferable to have than the use of the beautiful nursery._

_Red, Hansel, and Gretel stood at the door, smiling. Gretel was holding something behind her back. Hansel was looking over at Red shyly, while Gretel rolled her eyes at her younger brother. The trio had been found by Snow, but had formed long before they met with the formerly exiled princess. Now, Hansel and Red were beginning to develop feelings for each other, feelings Snow knew usually lead to true love._

_“Um, hi,” Red began. She preferred to go by Red instead of her given name, Merida, due to her bright red hair and scarlet cloak. The cloak allowed Red warmth, and also protection during the full moon. Snow didn’t know the full details, but had surmised that she had been bitten by a wolf during an attack on her village that killed her parents. That bite was responsible for Red being able to shift into the form of a wolf during the full moon. The cloak was enchanted, and kept her in human form during this time. But she hadn’t always had it, and had been responsible for multiple deaths in her uncontrolled wolf form, or at least until she figured out how to control the wolf inside her._

_Gretel pulled a square package wrapped in brown paper out from behind her back and handed it to Snow and Phillip. She and her brother had been on the run after escaping a witch’s house. The same witch who had killed their father and luring the two into her house with the intent of making them her next meal. After killing her, they’d lived in the woods and fended for themselves, much like Snow had when she was younger. The brother and sister learned to fight, and kill, evil witches and other nasty creatures that terrorized towns. Both could wield multiple weapons with great skill, but each had their own preferred weapon of choice. Gretel favored a pair of long, sharp daggers to fight with. Hansel, on the other hand, was most comfortable with the bow and arrow, and had spectacular aim._

_The two had found Red hiding in the woods after she had escaped her village due to the guilt of slaughtering so many people in her life. They’d taken care of her, gotten her the enchanted cloak that kept her human during the full moon, and given her a home. In return, Red had assisted Hansel and Gretel in taking down their adversaries, and was able to keep them out of danger due to her heightened senses._

_Snow White had discovered the trio during her banditry days, and made sure that if she ever raided a place, she always brought something to them. They’d done the same for her, and more. When Victoria’s guards came too close for comfort, one of them would always manage to send them off in another direction._

_“We’ve got a gift for you,” Hansel explained, gesturing toward the package in Snow’s hands._

_Phillip looked at the three. “Can we open it?”_

_Gretel and Red nodded eagerly. “Of course.”_

_Snow White ripped the paper away and gasped. “Oh!”_

_Underneath the paper was a book. Snow ran her hand over the leather-bound cover, feeling the indentations where the gold-gilt words **Once Upon A Time** were displayed spectacularly across the front. _

_“They’re stories about us,” Red said as the couple opened the book and began to flip through the pages. Every other page was decorated with an elegant, colorful illustration. “We got together and collected stories and combined them all together in this book._

_“We thought you could take it to the new world,” Gretel continued as they stopped on a page showing Phillip waking up Snow from the sleeping curse. “So that maybe, you could read it to Skye as she grows up. She could know about her heritage, and our stories.”_

_“Who drew the pictures?” Phillip asked abruptly. “They’re incredible.”_

_“Sir Steven,” Red answered a bit smugly. “The blond knight who forms that little trio with Sir Anthony and Sir Robert. He likes to draw, and he wanted to help.”_

_“And the Blue Fairy enchanted this too,” Hansel added excitedly. “You can add stories to it. All you need to do is think about it while holding the book and it’ll be added to the pages, along with illustrations like Steven’s. And it’ll keep telling the story if it isn’t completed yet.”_

_Snow turned the pages forward. On the last page, there was writing on it, and also a picture of her sitting on the bench in the hallway beside Leo. She smiled to herself as she thought about the little boy, who she’d had encounters with more often in the past few months. His father was one of the master carpenters who assisted Gepetto in the building of the wardrobe, and Leo often came to visit his father while he worked. Sometimes, he brought his friends. There was a little girl named Jemma, and her best friend Grant. There was also a third boy who had begun to visit with them more recently. His name was Antoine, but Leo, in his sweet innocence, called him Annie._

_Snow White and Phillip loved it when the children visited. If there had been no curse, no need for the wardrobe, then they would have definitely wanted to have Skye grow up with those four children. All of them would have been good at keeping an eye on her, and they probably would have been the best of friends to her. But Victoria had ensured that Skye would never grow up with Antoine, Grant, Jemma, or even precious little Leo. Maybe one day, after the curse was broken, their daughter could meet the children who she was supposed to grow up with._

_Blinking away her tears, Snow White smiled at Hansel, Gretel, and Red. “Thank you,” she whispered as Skye began to kick again. “I know she’ll love it.”_

* * *

Present Day

“WHERE IS IT!” screeched Victoria, her rage and fury directed toward the person who was supposed to make sure that when Centipede moved its base, her possessions were supposed to go along with it and not fall into the hands of SHIELD.

“What’s wrong, ma’am?” The idiot asked her. It was so tempting to just end him now, but magic was harder here. She didn’t want to risk a malfunction in her spell, or have it backfire on herself. Instead, she chose to roll her eyes.

“The book, you fool,” Victoria hissed. “There was a book in my desk, in my office at the last base. It’s not here!”

“We were in a hurry to get out,” the fool whined. “We didn’t manage to get everything, and there was a fire in that wing-“

His protests were cut off by Victoria slamming him up against the wall. She leaned in close, her eyes icy cold.

“You better _pray_ that when SHIELD investigates that wreck, they will not find that book, or any evidence that I was ever there. Or I swear, what was done to Poe will be a goddamn picnic compared to what’s in store for you.”

* * *

 

“Yes, Jemma,” Leopold Fitz mimicked as he trudged down the hallways of the former Centipede base. “Yes, of course I’ll go upstairs in this wing, all by my lonesome, to look for evidence while you stay and flirt with Ward while he yells at Skye for doing nothing wrong. Because I’m just that expendable, and you need Trip’s help too. And of course, that the upstairs isn’t important at all.”

As he peered into the rooms lining the sides of the hallway, Leo heaved a sigh as each room came up empty, save for the black scorch marks on the sides of the walls. Three months had gone by since Skye had been shot, and they’d been rough for SHIELD, especially their team. It began two or three weeks after they’d given Skye the GH-325, when Agent Garrett completely disappeared without a trace, and was now presumed dead by SHIELD. A few weeks after that, there’d been a prison break from a SHIELD holding facility, and both Raina and Ian Quinn had been among the escapees. Now, as of last month, Project Centipede had made a major comeback, and was more powerful than ever before. SHIELD kept striking their bases, but they keep only just missing them by mere hours. It felt like a perpetual game of cat and mouse.

However, the team had gained a new member in the form of Antoine Triplett. After Garrett vanished, Coulson had offered him the spare bunk and a spot on the team until they determined what had happened to Garrett. Trip had happily accepted, and fit in quite nicely. He’d become a regular with Ward and Skye in the lab, which was great. There was something oddly familiar though about him when Trip was with him, Ward, and Simmons that Leo could not place. It was as if he’d known the new specialist before SHIELD. But Leo knew he hadn’t, or at least he didn’t think so.

A beeping from his tablet tore Leo from his thoughts. At the end of the hallway, Grumpy and Happy were hovering about in what must have been an office for the person was in charge of this insane project. They seemed to be detecting something from the smashed remains of what was once a magnificent desk. Leo peered at the scans that the DWARFS were sending in to his tablet. Frowning, he enlarged a certain section and studied it.

It seemed that there was something Centipede had forgotten something of theirs.

Bending down, Leo began to clear away the broken pieces of wood. Once he had removed what might have been the surface of the desk, something peeking out glinted. Curious, Leo continued to pull away more part. At last, the object of his interest was visible. It was a thick, long book with the words _Once Upon A Time_ gleaming on its leather cover. A smile bloomed across the engineer’s face.

There were a lot of things that Leopold Fitz, Level 5 engineer and agent of SHIELD liked, such Doctor Who, tinkering about with machines, the Holotable, prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella sandwiches with pesto aioli, Skye. But there was one thing that he enjoyed immensely that very, very few people knew about.

Leo Fitz adored fairytales.

He had always been drawn to them for as long as he could remember. Being that kid who was three levels ahead of everyone else his age in school by the time he was ten had created a lot of jealousy directed toward him. His intelligence made him a target of isolation, but books filled with tales of lost princesses and knights and magic helped him get through those tough times.  Something about all the stories just made him feel so right.

Even now, as an adult, Leo retained his appreciation for fairytales. There were a couple books of the classics fairytales from the Grimm Brothers, Hans Christian Anderson, and even Disney in a stack in his bunk, and it didn’t end there. There were also ancient Chinese legends, Greek and Egyptian mythology, practically any story that had been created and was now regarded as an ancient legend was in a book in his stack. Sometimes, he would read them before going to bed, and his drowsy mind would question the existence of another world where fairytale characters actually existed. If Thor and Asgard were real, then maybe the Enchanted Forest and Snow White did as well.

This particular topic was also the one area of friction between himself and Simmons. His best friend was great and everything, but her brain was purely scientific. She couldn’t bring herself to let the constant need to question everything around her slip away and permit herself to be immersed in the magic of fairytales without pointing out scientific flaws. That wasn’t what they were for! She opposed everything that was fictional, and it frustrated him at times. It had actually been solely his idea to name the DWARFS after the seven in the Snow White tale, while Simmons had been dead set on just calling them numbers. Only after he had shown her the original Disney film were Doc and the others christened by their current names, albeit grudgingly. “You’re going to look back on this one day and call it silly, Fitz,” she’d grumbled once it was settled.

“Never,” he had proclaimed. “Come on, Simmons, you’ll like it. It’ll grow on you.”

Simmons had rolled her eyes and muttered something about him being a child under her breath. But she now actually did call them by their proper names. It made him smile that she was at least willing to accept it finally after so long without needing to rely on a scientific reason for it.

There was something that felt almost magical about the book, but it wasn’t in a dangerous, seductive way. More of a comforting, nice and warm feeling, like finding something that ahd been lost. He reached toward the book, and his naked fingers touched the thick, rough-edged parchment of the pages.

What happened next was unexpected, and changed Leo’s life forever.

 A fiery sensation originated in the spot where his hand grasped the book, and shot up his arm. Leo gritted his teeth to suppress a scream as pain built up inside his skull. The broken bits of the desk and the rest of the room vanished as a flurry of image flew by. It was as if a reel of camera film was being pulled across his face at a very high speed. Voices, muffled whispers and screams echoed around him as he tried to focus in the scenes flashing before him.

Some of them stuck out. A man and a woman in white standing at an altar. Running through a fancy garden as a flash of navy moved out of the way of his vision. Running again down a hallway, and then into a wall of white fabric. A view from above of two girls and boy fighting off men who looked to be wearing armor. The final image he grasped was being huddled up with three other people as green smoke swirled around and consumed them.

Leo’s eyes snapped open and he fell backward, still clutching the book. He took a few deep breaths to calm down before crawling back up on his knees. His hand ran over the smooth leather surface of the book.

What had he seen exactly? There was a strange sense of familiarity about the things that he had just experienced, but he didn’t know where from. The things that he had seen, they felt so real. It was as though they were memories of something forgotten, most likely when he was two or three if he was judging by how high everything had seemed. But that couldn’t be possible. He had a perfectly good memory from that age which had no involvement with weddings or knights or green smoke.

So why did his memories when he was two and three of the highlands and visiting the next door neighbor’s farm now seem so off?

Sighing, Leo pulled off the satchel he was wearing and gently placed the book inside it. No doubt about it, there was something peculiar about this book, and he wanted to look into it alone. If he told Simmons about it, then she write the images off as hallucinations from overwork, and that would be the end of it. No, he needed to know why he had seen those things, and why they felt oddly familiar. There had to be some explanation to it, and he wanted to know about it. And if there wasn’t, it still looked like a pretty good book to add to his collection.

Whatever was going on, Leo was going to figure it out what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review!


	6. Seeing Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant decides to ask Jemma out, and Leo reads the book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going to say Mayward ended without the help of an Asgardian sorceress, alright?  
> Once again, post 1x14 AU, so NO HYDRA!  
> Also, the end scene is inspired by OUAT 3x11-Going Home. You know, the one where we were all bawling

Chapter 5: Seeing Snow

_If you love them, and they love you, then they will always find each other_

-Mary Margaret/ Snow White, Once Upon A Time

“So did you find anything?” Skye asked Leo as they loaded into the SUV to go back to the Bus.

Leo shook his head. Out of all the people who were on the team, Skye would probably be the easiest to discuss what he had seen while holding the book. After all, she was the one who usually supplied the suggestion of a super-powered individual whenever something mysterious happened. However, she had been suggesting it a lot less lately, ever since they visited the Academy to be honest. Still, Leo didn’t feel ready to share his experiences with anyone, let alone the girl he liked more than a friend.

“The most I could find was a desk smashed to bits,” he admitted. It was partially true. “Everything else was cleared out.”

“They’re getting better,” Ward said, getting into the driver’s seat. “This is the third base we’ve checked out, and it’s been almost completely cleaned out. At this point, if we even found something, then we’d need to use it to see if we can trace back the original owners.”

Leo thought about the book and tightened his grip on the satchel.

“And then we can take down Centipede. Again,” Skye sighed as Ward started the car. “Whoa, wait up. Aren’t we going to wait for the others?”

Ward’s jaw clenched a little. “Coulson got a call from HQ. They want us to bring what we’ve found to a base in Houston, Texas,” he grumbled while steering onto the main road. “He and May took Jemma along with them a little earlier to catalog some of the data. Agent Triplett volunteered to go along with them.”

Leo tried not chuckle as Skye glanced over at him with a devious smirk. The specialist’s feelings for their friend were apparent to everyone on the team except for Simmons herself. But judging by the way she blushed pink every time he came into the lab, she most likely felt the same way about him. One of Leo and Skye’s favorite things to do was to leave the two in the lab by themselves while Simmons was patching up Ward from his latest injury and hid in a corner where they could see in the lab, but the people inside couldn’t see them. Then Skye and him would proceed to mimic a conversation between the two. The topics ranged from random things like rabbits to lines from famous scenes in movies. It always made them laugh when they did it, and it allowed Leo to spend some time with Skye. Also, Skye’s British accent had greatly improved as a result from mimicking Simmons.

“He gets really stuffy when he’s jealous, huh,” Skye muttered to him.

Leo snorted and covered his mouth with one hand.

In the mirror, Ward rolled his eyes. “ _He_ can hear you whispering back there, Skye.”

“Oh, come one. It’s true,” she protested, smirking a bit. “You actually do. You get all stern and gruff. It’s like an old man yelling at kids who get on his lawn.”

“What? No…” Ward seemed a little more nervous now. “No, I…don’t…do that. I don’t.”

Leo smiled. “You know that I won’t hurt you if you ask her out, right? Unless you hurt her though.”

He swore the tension in Ward’s shoulders relaxed a little. “How about we drop the topic, and just ride back in silence,” suggested Ward, although it sounded more like an order.

Skye shut her mouth, and the silence persisted for the rest of the ride. Leo looked back down at the book, itching to pull it out and read. But he reminded himself that neither Skye nor Ward knew of its existence, and he would be caught in a tough place if they saw it. Instead, he looked out the window at the passing landscape, thinking about the images he had seen.

* * *

 

Jemma hummed along happily to the music as she cataloged the data from the Centipede base. Playing classical music as she worked was something Jemma enjoyed, and rarely got, to do. Normally, Fitz was constantly in here with her and music would only make communication between the two of them difficult. But when she was alone, Jemma could fall into an easy rhythm of working along with the music. It gifted her a sense of peace, almost as if she was in her own little world.

She heaved a relived sigh as she pulled out the last piece of evidence with a gloved hand. Ever since the Chitauri virus incident, wearing gloves while handling unknowns became a priority for Jemma. She had gotten lucky the last time, but she preferred not to tempt fate twice. If it hadn’t been for Fitz and Grant, then she probably wouldn’t be here today. She smiled at the memory of Grant’s strong arms holding her close before she blacked out. He had saved her life, and she owed him so much for that.

“Tchaikovsky?”

Jumping a little in surprise, Jemma whirled around, almost dropping the item in her hands. Grant Ward was standing inside the lab. She’d been so caught up in the music that she had not noticed his presence until now.

“Yes, actually,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks heat up.

“Symphony No. 2?”

Jemma blinked and nodded, stunned at his knowledge of the piece. “You listen to classical?”

He smiled warmly at her, and Jemma felt her cheeks heat up. She liked it when Grant smiled. It made him look a bit easier to talk to. “It’s definitely not heavy metal that I listen to when I’m working out with the punching bag. But yeah, I do. I never knew that you were a fan.”

“Oh, of course,” she gushed. “Erm, do you need anything?”

His face went a bit pink. “Well…”

“You aren’t hiding an injury from me again, are you?” she teased as she put away the item she had just finished cataloging.

A low chuckle slipped from his lips. It was such a beautiful sound. The best way she could describe it would be melted chocolate, the shade of his eyes.

“No, because thanks to someone, I’ve learned that doing that can get me into a heap of trouble,” Grant admitted. “But I did come to ask you something.”

“Okay.” Jemma pressed her lips together, trying not to think of all the best case scenarios her brain was trying to concoct right now. “What is it?”

Grant exhaled slowly. “So you know that after we get to Houston and deliver the evidence to the SHIELD base and get through all the debriefings, Coulson’s giving all of us some time off,” he began. “Are you-Do you have any plans while we’re off-duty?”

“No, I’m afraid not,” Jemma admitted. “I don’t really know the area, so I’m free.”

He took a deep breath and looked at her, his deep dark chocolate eyes drilling into her own. They were so magnificent and she didn’t want to look away. “Do you want to go out to dinner…with me?”

Jemma blinked, surprised while working to maintain her composure. She did not want to misinterpret it. “As colleagues?”

He gave a sheepish smile and a shy chuckle. “I mean as a date, Jemma.”

Something warm bubbled up inside of her. “You’re asking me on a date.”

Grant blushed. “Yeah, I guess…I guess I am.”

“I’d really like that.”

“Great.” A grin crossed his face. “May says we’re going to get in late to Houston tonight, so do you want to go out somewhere tomorrow night? Seven-ish?” He gave a bashful shrug.

“That sounds perfect, Grant.”

Jemma clapped her hand over her mouth. It was the first time she had ever addressed him by his first name to his face and….it felt right.

He cocked his head a little. “It’s okay for you to call me by my first name, Jemma. I kind of like it that way better.”

“Great,” she sighed happily, stripping off her gloves. “And you…you can call me Jemma.”

He nodded. “Okay,” he said. “So…see you in Houston.”

“Yeah,” she agreed as he left the lab. As soon as the doors sealed shut, Jemma threw her gloves into the air. A whoop of excitement erupted from her as she spun around gleefully.

She was going on a date with Grant Ward! Things couldn’t possibly get any better.

* * *

 

_Enchanted Forest_

_“Grantie?”_

_Grant looked over at Jemma. The little girl was making minimal progress on the flower chain that Lizzie had started for her so she could make a flower crown. Right now, she was chasing Xander around the courtyard, so she wouldn’t be much help. Luckily, Lizzie had also once taught him how to make them._

_“Do you need help?” he asked her._

_She nodded, and he took the short chain from her hands. His six-year-old fingers were a bit more capable of tying the stems of the flowers together, and the chain began to grow. As soon as it was long enough, Grant connected the two ends into a circle. Then he placed it on his best friend’s head. The periwinkle blue blossoms looked pretty nestled in her brown curls. Those curls that ended up tickling his face when she stood up and hugged him._

_“Tank you,” she giggled._

_Grant grinned at her. “Anyting for you, Jemma,” he told her. “I’m always here for you.”_

_“Me too.”_

_She stuck out her hand, pinky extended. “Pwomise?”_

_His pinky finger curled around hers. “Promise.”_

* * *

 

Present Day

“What are you reading?”

Stiffening, Leo lowered the book of fairy tales that he had finally gotten the chance to read. Everyone else had dispersed since Coulson told them that they were getting some time off in Houston. Since Tripp had beaten him out to the shower, he decided to sit in the common room and read the book while waiting for his turn. For a time, he had been alone, but now May was standing before him, holding a cup of tea. She must have left the cockpit to get it, and he hadn’t even noticed.

“Oh, uh, this?” He held up the book meekly.

May scanned the cover and raised her eyebrow at him. “Once Upon a Time,” she read quietly. “I’m assuming fairy tales?”

“Yeah,” he mumbled awkwardly, thinking about what he had read in it already.

Of all the fairy tales, legends, and myths that Leo had ever read, this collection definitely took first prize for being the strangest. There were the classic stories of Snow While, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, etc. But the book told their stories in versions that clashed with te tales he’d grown up reading. In this book, Red Riding Hood was a werewolf whose cloak prevented her from shifting into a monster at full moon. She shared adventures with Hansel and Gretel, who were some kind of witch hunters. Snow White was a bandit who met Prince Charming when she attempted to rob him. Every tale in this book was twisted from the original version he’d known.

The funny thing about it was, he wasn’t turned off from reading the book at all. Yes, they were not the versions he was used to, but somehow these made more sense in this way. Leo couldn’t explain it, but it felt like there was a funny familiarity about the book and its contents. Even the illustrations seemed to stir up something inside him. He could have sworn that one of shield of the three knights in a previous story was exactly like Captain America’s.

“Never would have pegged you for being a reader,” muttered May as she began to make her way back to the cockpit.

Leo sighed and flipped the page. The title of this chapter was called ‘The Curse and The Saviour’, but his eyes caught the illustration first. It showed Snow White and Prince Charming (whose real name was Phillip, another oddity in the book) standing in front of a priest under a gazebo. Clearly they were getting married, which was nice. But that was not what caught Leo’s eyes. The illustration of Snow was what screamed for his attention. She looked almost exactly like…

“Agent May!” Leo cried out, whipping his head up.

Next to the corner, May turned around and Leo felt his jaw drop. May wasn’t exactly May anymore. It was if there was a second layer of her that had surfaced to become visible. So she still was May, but at the same time, she wasn’t. She was younger, more innocent looking. Her hair was longer and pulled up in some elaborate style braided with tiny white flowers. Her dress was white as snow, slim at her chest and slightly puffed out at her waist. She looked frustratingly familiar to him. Leo could have sworn he had seen her somewhere before. His eyes drifted down to the illustration of Snow White.

A perfect match.

“Are you okay, Fitz?” May grumbled when he looked up again. She was back to normal.

“Yeah, sure,” he nodded. “Sorry, forgot what I was going to say. Probably not important.”

She gave a small nod and left the room.

Leo studied the picture again.  The Snow White in the book looked exactly like their own Melinda May. He knew that he wasn’t dreaming it, and suddenly he felt very nervous about the book. Not only did he now see Snow White more clearly as May, but now Prince Charming/Phillip now held a disturbing resemblance to Coulson if his boss was twenty some years younger.

Leo frowned and slammed the book shut. He headed back to his bunk and placed it near the bottom of his literature collection. “It’s not possible,” Leo told himself. “You’re just tired or something. It’s not possible. There’s just no way.”

_What the hell was happening to him?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think of that?  
> Please review!


	7. The Curse is Cast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria casts the curse while Snow White fears leaving behind Phillip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More flashbacks-yah!! Also, heavy Philinda. Maybe I can describe it as Snowing Philinda?  
> Also, there will be a Huntsman in this. Kudos to anyone who can figure out who he is in the real world before I reveal it.  
> PS-Anybody interested in Raina as Mulan? I got the idea from a reviewer. After all, "The flower that blooms in adversity..."

Chapter 6: The Curse is Cast

_‘I don’t want to go’_ –Tenth Doctor

_ Enchanted Forest _

_Victoria stepped forward to the fire pit and gazed out on her companions. All had wicked souls, which made them excellent assistants to help her in the new world. There was a young witch who she’d brought under her tutelage long ago. Two of former knights, banished for their corruption during the reign of Snow White’s father, who now served as her top advisors. The most despicable of all was the king though. He had killed his brother, Phillip’s father, to gain the throne of another kingdom and then proceeded to outcast the boy and his mother to poverty. Just before her final defeat, he had lost to the forces of his nephew and Snow White._

_“You all know why you are here,” she began, drawing from her cloak a box containing the most important ingredient of the curse. “All of us have been wronged, chested out of our victory. Our names are blackened and we have been reduced to almost nothing. But tonight, we shall claim our final victory.”_

_“And how are we going to do that?” Sir Edwin, one of the knights, asked snidely._

_Victoria smiled nastily as she dropped in the other ingredients to the curse. The fire began to burn a violent shade of blue._

_“This curse, once it is cast, shall rip everyone from this land,” she explained. “It will also take away our memories, unless we take the measures to prevent it.”_

_“Which would be?”_

_Victoria moved toward the king. “Do you wish to retain your memories?”_

_He nodded, and Victoria smirked. “Then give me your hand.”_

_He complied, and she slid her dagger across his palm, carving a shallow gash. “A few drops of your blood into the fire,” she told him, leading him over to the blaze. “This will protect your memories, and you will know who you are when we reach the new world. If you wish to keep yourself, then do it.”_

_One by one, the others let a few drops of their blood fall into the fire, which turned purple. Victoria opened the box and withdrew the heart inside. The cursed called for the thing she loved most- her father. She had always been close with him, and even in her dark days, he was there for her. When she’d arrived at the manor where she had grown up in to complete her deed, he’d understood, yet he told her to consider otherwise. “You can still find happiness, Victoria,” he had said._

_She’d pulled him into a hug. “Maybe,” she’d whispered, reaching her hand into his chest and ripping the organ out. “But never here.”_

_The old man died on the spot out of shock, but the heart, warm or stone cold, was all she needed. ‘Thank you, Father,’ she thought as she tossed it into the flames._

_An inferno roared up for a moment. Then, a cloud of sickly green smoke billowed up into the air and continues to spew from the fire. Strong winds buffeted all of them, but they held their ground. Victoria sighed in happiness. She had succeeded._

_‘How long until it takes us away?” the king bellowed over the wind._

_“A few hours,” replied Victoria. “That’s enough time for you to get yourselves and affairs in order.”_

_With that, she strode back to her carriage. “Take me to Snow White,” she ordered the horseman. She’d heard that her step-daughter was expecting a child, which terrified her. If she could get to there in time, then she had to make sure the baby was dead. The child of her enemies was said to be her greatest adversary, and Victoria couldn’t let that happen. “I need to make a final visit.”_

_“What’s going to happen to me?”_

_A hollow, bitter voice hiding a man in the shadows asked this as the carriage began to move. “Will I remember too?” he asked._

_Victoria cast a glance at him. “You’ll be with me, like you always should be. After all, I do have your heart, and that preservation spell keeping you young would raise too many questions if you were left to run about on your own.”_

_“So I am still your prisoner,” he snarled angrily. “Locked away like a pet.”_

_“Which you deserve, after letting Snow White go!” Victoria snapped._

_“They’ll defeat you, you know,” the man gave a small smile. “Snow White and Phillip. They did it once, they can do it again.”_

_The queen snorted, shaking her head. “I’d love to see them try, my dear Huntsman,” she cooed. “When they don’t even know who they are.”_

* * *

 

_“I don’t think I can do this.”_

_Snow White waddled back into her and Phillip’s bedroom, where he was leaning against a chair. He had just brought back news that the magic wardrobe was almost completed. The wardrobe that was going to take her and Skye to the new world away from the curse, and Phillip. She would lose the love of her life, the man who had saved her, for twenty-four years._

_“Snow.” Phillip clasped her hand with his. “You know this is the only way-“_

_“-to keep Skye safe,” she finished. “Yes, I know. But...but I’m going to lose you.”_

_“No, you won’t,” Phillip soothed. “You remember what Nicholas told us. The curse **will** be broken.”_

_Snow swallowed “He said it will happen on her twenty-fourth birthday, Charming.”_

_“What’s twenty-four years when you have eternal love?”_

_Tears began to come to her eyes. “But what if something happens?” Snow whispered, ignoring the twinge of pain that struck her. “What if we can’t find each other? What if you get killed before the curse breaks and I never see you again? What if I die and she’s alone? What if I die when she’s born, and she grows up with no one to help her, no one to tell her who she is?”_

_“Snow, stopping looking at the bad,” Phillip said firmly. “You can’t lose hope. We will find each other again, and I will get to see my daughter.”_

_“You won’t see her grow up,” she cried. “She’ll be a little younger than we are now, and we’ll be old.”_

_“But you’ll still be beautiful.” Phillip smiled and squeezed her hand. “You’ll still be as beautiful as you were the day I met you. Don’t worry, Snow. We will find each other, because that’s what we always do. I will always find you, and you will always find me.”_

_With tears streaming down her face, Snow White pulled her husband close in a passionate kiss. Phillip was her savior, always giving her light in even the darkest of times. Listening to him, she believed she would be okay. She believed she would find him. She believed-_

_A strong, sharp wave of pain struck her lower abdomen. Gasping, she pulled away, holding her swollen belly with one hand while gripping Phillip’s shoulder. Something warm trickled down her legs. Snow suddenly realized what those odd little pains she’d been having throughout the day meant._

_“Snow?” Phillip picked her up and laid her on their bed. “Snow, are you okay? What is it?”_

_“Baby,” she grunted, gritting her teeth as another pain shot through her. “Coming.”_

_“Now!” Phillip looked terrified. “I thought-Doc said you still had another month to go.”_

_“Well, she’s coming now.”_

* * *

 

_“Go on.”_

_Lee turned from watching his younger siblings and Grant’s friends playing in the palace courtyard to see Hansel grinning at him. Ever since the news of the queen’s curse, he had been placed on watch duty for the last three hours of sunset with Hansel. The young witch-hunter was fun to be around, but Lee longed to be with his family. He was worried that when the curse took hold, he would be separated from his parents and brothers and sister, and wanted to spend as much time as he could with them before he forgot them. Guard duty made that hard._

_“Go on,” repeated Hansel. “Go and join them.”_

_Lee shrugged, tempted. “But I have a duty to stay on watch,” he argued feebly. “To protect the inhabitants of this castle.”_

_“Go enjoy the time you have with them,” Hansel said persuasively. “I can manage on my…”_

_He trailed off, his jaw hanging open. Lee whipped around as a cold breeze gusted over them. In the distance, he heard a clap of thunder. The he saw the thick green clouds, tall as mountains, slowly creeping toward the castle as they consumed the forest. He shivered and turned back to Hansel. “Is that…?”_

_The archer nodded. “Go find your family, help the others inside,” he ordered, racing over to the bell set up to alert the arrival of the curse. “I’ll find King Phillip, and tell him that the queen needs to get to the wardrobe right now. Go!”_

_Lee nodded and clamored down the stairs as the bell clanged loudly. Running down the hall, he heard screaming, but he ignored it. He had a new duty. Lee had to find his family, and keep them safe._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooo things gonna get crazy! We're almost done with the main flashbacks!  
> Please review and tell me what you think!


	8. Flickers of a Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye has a nightmare, and Leo comes to make sure she's okay. The interaction proves to provide more than expected.

Chapter 7: Flickers of a Memory

_People cry not because they’re weak. It’s because they’ve been strong for too long.”_

Night had settled upon the Bus, and everyone was in their rooms except for May, who was flying the plane. Leo sat on top of his bed, once again reading the book he’d found. Despite telling himself not to, his curiosity had urged him to keep reading it after being the only person to see that May had turned into Snow White. He couldn’t get over the strangeness of the tales he read, or even the familiarity that clawed at his insides as he tried to remember where he had heard of these things before. But try as he might, Leo couldn’t pinpoint when he’d heard them.

He turned the page and studied the illustration. It was slightly darkened, as the book said the characters were in a dungeon. Prince Charming and Snow White (who was pregnant), the latter leaning close to the bars of a cell, were speaking to a prisoner. It was a dark wizard named Nicholas, who had appeared in a few stories before this one. He was telling them of a terrible curse that was going to take all the characters out of the Enchanted Forest and place them in a world without magic. As an added bonus, they wouldn’t have their memories. When asked what could save them, Nicholas told them that Snow White’s unborn child would be the one to break the curse. In return for all the information, he only asked for the child’s name.

A muffled scream erupted from the wall separating his bunk from Skye’s. Concern seized Leo’s heart at the fear that scream held. Without a second thought, he put the book aside and ran out of his bunk.

* * *

 

Skye tossed and turned in agony, whimpering cries falling from her lips now and then.

_“I can’t do this anymore.”_

_“Skye, you need to calm down.” Simmons was looking at the monitors in alarm. “Please, just calm down.”_

_“I can’t!” Skye screamed, trying to yank off the suckers that were on her head. “Make it stop!”_

_“It’s not responding!” Simmons shrieked, pressing buttons frantically. “It won’t sh-“_

_The sounds of Simmons’s panicking muted and it somehow seemed worse to watch the biochemist freak out without sound. Something was buzzing in Skye’s ears, slowly getting louder and louder. Her chest began to burn painfully, and she collapsed onto the floor, curling into a ball. She started to shake uncontrollably moments before throwing her limbs out as something white and hot burst from her. Simmons’s screams returned at full volume as Skye’s world went white._

_When she could see again, she pushed herself up off the floor. Skye gasped as she gazed upon the blackened ruins of the lab. The only spot that wasn’t scorched was in the shape of a fetal position, where she’d been huddled. Blobs of twisted, half-melted glass from beakers and test tubes were scattered on the floor, and the doors to the lab were blown off._

_Skye tried to call out for the rest of the team, but she couldn’t speak. The buzzing had faded into an eerie hum. Looking upward, Skye saw ominous gray storm clouds above her through the enormous hole ripped through the section of the Bus. When she looked forward, Skye saw six burned, blackened figures scattered throughout the cargo hold. At last her voice returned as she shrieked in horror._

_This was her true nature. A monster, capable of horrific destruction. Wailing, Skye sunk to her knees and thought of the village Coulson had told her about. She’d destroyed them too. Entire families had been wiped out because of her. There was so much blood on her hands from them. Everything she touched was destroyed. She was nothing more than a monster that deserved to die._

_“Skye!” Someone shouted as the ground began to quiver violently. “Skye!”_

* * *

 

“Wake up, Skye,” Leo pleaded the restless girl. “Skye, wake up please.”

As soon as he’d been able to get into her bunk, Leo had turned on the lamp on her wall and knelt beside her bed. The hacker was thrashing about, screaming intermittently. Tentitivly, Leo reached out to give her shoulder a shake. “Skye!”

Skye awoke suddenly, eyes snapping open with a gasp. Immediately, those big brown doe eyes that Leo had fallen in love with filled up with tears. She sat up and clung to him in a fierce embrace. Stunned by her action, Leo gently hugged her back as she sobbed on his shoulder.

“Fitz,” she wept. “Fitz, Fitz, Fitz.”

“Shh, you’re okay, Skye,” he soothed, rubbing her back. “It was just a bad dream. It wasn’t real. You’re safe on the Bus with us.”

“I’m a monster,” she sniffled. “I’m a terrible, horrible monster.”

“What? No, you’re not, Skye!” Leo was baffled at why she would even think that. “You are anything but a monster.”

“I am, I am, I am,” sobbed Skye, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’ve done so much evil, and I could do more.”

“Why would you say that?!” Leo cried in disbelief. He shifted himself onto the bed so he could sit beside her. Skye wiped her eyes and gave a little hiccup.

“If-if I tell you this, you can’t tell _anyone_ else. Ever.”

“I promise,” he swore, looking her dead in the eye. She was clearly about to put a lot of trust into him, and he would do whatever it took to keep it.

She nodded and inhaled deeply. “I’m an 084.”

“Oh,” Leo froze and bit his lip. “Erm, how long have you known this?”

“Since we went to the Academy, when those kids made the superstorm,” Skye clasped her hands in her lap and gazed down at them.

“The reason I really came to SHIELD at first was to find answers about my parents. I never knew them; I just got dropped off at St. Agnes Orphanage when I was a baby. I grew up getting bounced around the foster system until I was legal, and then I got out so I could find answers. It led me Rising Tide. Even with them, all I could ever find about me was a single document, redacted by SHIELD.”

“That’s why you hacked us,” Leo realized. “So, did it say you were an 084.”

She shook her head. “After the incident with Miles, I showed the information I had to Coulson. He said he’d help me, and later he roped May into it too. While we were at the Academy, they tracked down a lead, He had been a SHIELD agent, but went into hiding after I got dropped off at the orphanage. Twenty-four years ago, the team he had been on had been called out to a village in China about a possible 084. When they got there, the entire village had been slaughtered, along with the agent who had called them out. They found the 084 in the dead agent’s arms, covered in blood. It was a baby girl.”

“You?”

Skye nodded and rubbed her eyes. “The village was destroyed and every agent who had been on the mission died, except for the one guy who went off the grid. When Coulson told me this, I thought that people had died because someone was after me, and those people had got in the way. I didn’t really know what to think of being an 084. The only other one I’d ever seen was that one in Peru, and you remember how well that one ended. So when we were on the train, I asked you about human 084’s…”

Leo felt guilt fall on him like a lead weight. He remembered all too clearly what he had said to her on the train.

“…and you told me they were dangerous,” Skye continued. “When I was on that basement floor, bleeding out after Quinn shot me, I saw that people hadn’t died protecting me. They’d died because I killed them.”

Skye buried her face in her hands. Leo held her close as she started to cry again.

“I can’t believe I told you that,” he said, gritting his teeth in anger at himself. “Every 084 I’ve ever seen is dangerous too. I didn’t even try to think about the possibility of one being good. I never meant…”

He trailed off, not sure how to rectify the mistake he’d made so long ago. A different approach to comforting Skye was needed. “Have you told anyone else about this?”

“The 084 thing or the nightmares?”

He shrugged. “Either.”

“No,” Skye shook her head. “I don’t want to bother anyone. They’ll just worry or freak out and alienate me or Jemma would try to run tests on me to see what I can do and then I’ll so something and it won’t be good.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Leo told her firmly. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t. But these nightmares, you can’t let them control the way you see yourself. You are not a monster, you never were, and you never will be.”

“You don’t know that.”

“No, you can’t think like that,” He sighed and closed his hand over hers. “Look, you aren’t alone in having bad dreams. Everyone had them, and there’s all sort of ways to get over them.”

“Like what?” Skye questioned. “What do you do?”

Leo gave her a tiny grin. “I find it’s best to do something that cheers you up. For me, it’s reading fairy tales. I know it sounds silly, but I’ve always secretly loved them ever since I was a kid. When I read them, I feel like I’m a part of the story, and it drives the bad thought away. If you want, I can loan you one of my books.”

“Mm,” Skye murmured sleepily, her eyes drooping. A few minutes later, she was fast asleep on his shoulder.

As gently as he could without waking her, Leo shifted Skye back under her covers. He brushed a few strands of her hair away from her face. “Good night, and don’t be afraid, Skye,” he whispered as she slumbered. “No matter what you’re afraid of, I’ll protect you from it. I’ll always protect you, Princess Skye.”

_I’ll always protect you, Princess Skye._

A voice, his own voice, echoed in the depth of his mind. He’d said that before, Leo knew he had, but he couldn’t place when. Remembering had become such a big problem for him lately.

He returned to his bunk, where the book was lying open on his bed. Since he’d found it, a lot of strange things had happened to him. First May, and now the little scrap of memory that had no set date to it. Leo didn’t doubt for a second that there was something special about the book, and he needed to figure out what it was. Determined, he laid back down and resumed reading.

Nicholas was asking for the child’s name, threatening to make the curse worse if he didn’t receive it. He knew the child was a girl, as did Snow White.

_‘Skye’ Snow White told the Dark One. ‘Her name is Skye.’_

_Skye_

Leo halted and re-read the paragraph over three times. Something inside him tingled with joy as he thought of the possibility of the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming being successfully transported to Earth and growing up to become their hacker. With a new motivation in finding his crush’s heritage, Leo continued to read one. His heart broke when the Blue Fairy (who resembled Commander Hill) explained that the tree could only hold one. It was understandable to Leo why Snow White would run out. If someone had told him he wouldn’t get to see Skye for twenty-four years, he would be a complete mess. It had already been difficult for him when she had gotten shot. With a solemn huff, he turned the page and gazed at the picture.

There are certain points when something is learned, and the magnitude of shock that results from it gives the illusion of frozen time. The world just stops as one sits there, paralyzed by the discovery. Time returns to normal once the initial shock wears off, but nothing is ever the same as it once was.

This was how Leopold Fitz felt as he stared at the picture of a pregnant Snow White sitting on a bench next to a very young him. He didn’t know how to react as he read the paragraph accompanying the image. It was as if he had been standing on a rug and had it suddenly ripped out from underneath him. Questions swarmed his thoughts like bees. Was what he was seeing and reading real? Was it a sadistic creation of Centipede? If all of this was true, then what had happened to them? Was the Skye in the book the Skye sleeping next door to him?

As he calmed down from his discovery, Leo made two promises to himself. The first was easy. Finish the book and figure out what was going on with it. Determine what it really was.

The second was going to be harder. Find out more about Skye’s past. She had been found in China, but he needed to know more. He needed to talk with people she had grown up with, people she had known.

Thank goodness one of those people lived in Houston.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please review!!! The curse arrives next chapter!


	9. Goodbye, Skye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snow White and Phillip are forced to make a difficult choice while the rest of the castle prepares for an invasion.

Chapter 8: Good-bye Skye

_“Goodbye, Emma,”_ –Snow White

_Enchanted Forest_

_Phillip had experienced many things in life, but none of them were even as remotely terrifying as Snow White in labor._

_And then there was the curse coming too._

_As soon as Hansel had burst in alongside Doc a few hours ago to tell them that the curse was approaching them, Phillip had ordered the carpenters to hurry up the completion of the wardrobe. They had to get Snow to safety quickly, especially since she was about to give birth soon._

_Thunder clapped outside and Phillip left his wife’s side momentarily to shut the balcony doors to shield them from the chilling wind that had begun to blow in. Snow White screamed. He returned to her side immediately, rubbing her back and holding her hand._

_“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” wailed Snow as she gripped Phillip’s hand in a crushing hold. “I can’t, I can’t do this. I can’t have her now.”_

_“If there was something that I could do, I would do it,” Doc supplied meekly from the foot of the bed. “But I can’t. Babies come when they want to come.”_

_Snow turned back to Phillip. Even though her eyes were red and her hair was in a tangled mess, she was still the fairest of them all in Phillip’s eyes. “I should have said something sooner,” she whispered tearfully, closing her eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry, Charming.”_

_He shook his head. “Don’t apologize. You did nothing wrong. Everything is going to be okay. And guess what?” He smiled at her. “We’re going to have our daughter.”_

_A small smile bloomed across his wife’s face before a grimace replaced it and she shrieked. The door banged open and Hansel skidded into the room._

_“The wardrobe,” he panted, leaning against the wall. “It’s…it’s finished.”_

_Snow White cried out again, and Hansel looked over at them. His eyes bulged and he stumbled back. “Ahhhhh!”_

_“Come on, let’s go.” Phillip made to pick up Snow in his arms to carry her to the wardrobe, but Doc stopped him._

_“We can’t move her now,” the dwarf told him sorrowfully. “It’s too late. She can’t go.”_

_Phillip’s shoulders sagged, and he withdrew his arms from around Snow’s body. “Hansel.”_

_“Yeah?” the archer asked, a hand over his eyes._

_“Get everyone inside the palace. Make sure they’re all safe and with each other.”_

_“Um, there’s something else too.”_

_Phillip’s head shot up from murmuring comforts to his wife as soon as he heard the nervous tone in Hansel’s voice._

_“It’s the Queen,” Hansel told him. “She’s coming.”_

* * *

 

_“Mama, why are we going inside?” Lizzie asked curiously._

_Lee studied his mother as she hefted Xander up a bit higher. She looked concerned, and she had every right to be. Still she put on a smile for her only daughter. “Because it’s time to go in sweetie.”_

_Lizzie pouted a bit, but kept up with them. Lee was thankful that he had been able to reach his family in enough time, but a sickening feeling churned in his stomach. The curse was coming, which meant that he would lose his memories soon. He wouldn’t be able to remember his parents, Lizzie teaching him how to make flower chains, the first time he had been able to play knights with Grant, or even Xander’s first steps. All those wonderful memories that had made him up would be gone._

_A small arm tugged at his sleeve. Lee looked down to see Antoine gazing up at him worriedly. The little boy had been with his family, along with Leo and Jemma (who Grant never seemed to go anywhere without), when the smoke first appeared. “Are we gonna be okay?” he asked as Grant and Jemma came up beside him with Leo in tow. All of the younger kids looked frightened._

_Lee sighed. “Yeah,” he forced out. “”Everything’s going to be fine. But just make sure you look out for each other, okay?”_

_All of them nodded silently, and they continued on their journey to get inside the safety of the palace walls. Despite the oncoming trouble, Lee was unable to resist a smile when he saw Grant and Jemma holding hands as they scurried ahead of him. The friendship between those two was adorable and strong. He hoped that in the new world, they could still be together and stay friends. One could only hope._

_“Daddy!” shrieked Xander as their father came running toward them once they were inside the gates. He was in full battle gear, sword at his side and shield on his arm._

_“Thomas!” Lee’s mother put Xander into his arms and ran over to embrace her husband. “Oh, Thomas, it’s coming! We need to get to safety.”_

_“I know, Vivian,” he said. “But the Evil Queen’s army is coming, and the Queen is labour. The baby is due any minute, and-“_

_“Skye’s coming!” Leo piped up happily. The little boy had a special relationship with the Queen that was just as sweet as Jemma and Grant’s._

_Thomas nodded. “Princess Skye, and yes, she is coming,” he told the toddler before turning back to his wife. “You need to get all the children inside and hide with them. We’ll hold them off, and then I will come find you.”_

_“I’m coming too!” Lee announced, stepping forward. He had the chance to prove himself in battle now, and he wanted to take it._

_But his father shook his head, and laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s dangerous out there, son,” he remarked. “I don’t want you to get hurt. But you can be a good boy by helping protect your mother and the other kids. Can you do that for me?”_

_Lee nodded, and hugged his father. After a few moments, Thomas let go and went to embrace Grant, Lizzie, and Xander. Then he was off running up a staircase to the palace walls, likely to be assisting the archers. His mother ushered them inside and up to one of the towers where the other kids’ parents would be. But just before he and Grant went up the staircase, he stopped his brother._

_“Go up the staircase with Jemma,” he encouraged, pointing to where the little girl had paused to wait for her friend. “I’m going to help Dad.”_

_But Grant shook his head. “No, you can’t,” he whined. “Mama said we all hafta go up.”_

_“I know, Grant,” sighed Lee. “But Daddy needs help, and I have to go help.”_

_“I’m coming too!” Grant declared stubbornly. “I can fight too. I’ll beat up all the bad guys!”_

_His little brother’s courage was there, but he still couldn’t go into battle. Lee shook his head. “You’re too young, they could kill you,” he explained. “But while I’m gone, keep Jemma and Mama and the others safe, okay?”_

_Grant nodded, and Lee hugged his little brother. “I love you, Grant.”_

_“Love you,” Grant murmured in return before dashing up the staircase with Jemma._

_Lee stood up and ran down the hallway to his room to grab his sword. He was going to help his father, and they would both come out alive and victorious._

* * *

 

_“Are we ready?” Hansel asked Red as they armed themselves to go fight the Evil Queen’s soldiers._

_His best friend nodded. “Are you?” she returned, a little smirk on her face._

_Hansel smiled and loaded his bow. “Let’s do this. Just like Wonderland,” he joked, remembering an adventure he, Gretel, and Red had shared with the Mad Hatter once._

_She shook her head, but laughed. “You and I remember Wonderland very differently,” she told him as they stepped out of the armory to meet a waiting Gretel._

_In a tower high above, the cry of a newborn rang out._

* * *

 

_The world they’re grown up in was to be nothing but a lost memory soon, but all that Snow White was able to focus on was her newborn daughter._

_Baby Skye was wrapped up in a blanket knitted by Red, who had been working on it ever since Snow had announced that she was pregnant. It was made of soft creamy wool with a turquoise ribbon threaded through the knitted folds on the side, and ‘Skye’ was stitched in turquoise thread on a small satin square near the bottom of the blanket. It held the most precious thing in the world to Snow White. Her beautiful daughter was settling down now after the squirming and crying she had done at first._

_Phillip was beside her, crying with the same happiness she herself felt. Snow found herself examining the tiny features of her daughter. Every little thing about her was perfect, from the way her tiny fingernails looked to the way her nose scrunched up. She and Phillip were parents to the most amazing, beautiful girl in all the lands, and nothing would be able to tear-_

_“The wardrobe,” she uttered as their situation suddenly came back to her. Snow White felt her tears growing sadder. “Phillip, it can only take one.”_

_His face fell upon the realization. They wouldn’t be able to get her and Skye to the new world; it was now too late. “Then we failed,” he admitted, brushing his fingertip down Skye’s tiny nose as she blinked at him with fascination. “At least we’re together. As a family.”_

_Snow White nodded as Skye wriggled around in her blanket. As she watched her daughter get comfortable, her mind began going over everything that had happened since they found out about the curse. Her thoughts fell back to the visit to Nicholas in the dungeon._

_‘She’ll find us? She’ll break the curse?’ she’d asked._

_‘She will.’_

_Snow lifted her head up. Nicholas had told them this, and he never would lie about a thing like this. He had told them Skye would be okay, and that she would find them. They had a way to get her to safety and away from the effects of the curse. Hope could not be given up just because Snow White couldn’t go. That didn’t bother her. Her daughter’s life and well-being came miles before her own._

_“Take her,” Snow told Phillip, holding their daughter toward him. “Take Skye to the wardrobe. Put her in with the book we got.”_

_His eyes widened. “Snow, you can’t mean…”_

_“I do,” she said, wiping her eyes. “Nicholas said she would be the Savior and that she would break the curse and save us all. She has to go, Phillip. I don’t want her to, but she has too. We have to give her her best chance.”_

_Phillip nodded. Snow White drew her daughter close to her for one last glance at her child’s features. The next time they would met, she would be a young women, not an infant. Her lips pressed a kiss on Skye’s forehead, brushing against the tiny brown curls. “Good-bye, Skye,” she wept. “I love you, sweetheart. Just know I will always love you.”_

_Phillip bent down beside her as she placed Skye, who was beginning to grow crabby, in his strong arms. Snow pulled him close in a kiss, tasting the salt in both their tears. “Stay safe,” she murmured. “I love you, Phillip.”_

_“I love you, Snow White,” he smiled reassuringly at her._

_She watched as her husband and fussing daughter moved to the door. Phillip grabbed his sword with his free hand and looked at her. Snow nodded in conformation. He returned just before he ran out into the hallway, on his way to where Skye’s nursery was._

_As soon as he was gone, Snow fell back onto her pillows and screamed as tears poured down her cheeks. She had done the right thing, she knew it. But why did it have to hurt so much? She pondered this as she sobbed in agony over her child, her beautiful perfect Skye._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part made me really sad when I watched it in the pilot of the show, so yeah, had to put it in.  
> Please review!


	10. She Got Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye gets sent away as the curse takes hold of the Enchanted Forest.  
> (Slightly different from the OUAT canon of events here)

Chapter 9: She got away

_“Find us”_ –Prince Charming

_Enchanted Forest_

_Phillip hurried down the halls of the castle. Skye had been wailing in his arms when they first left Snow, but now she had quieted down significantly. As he navigated around the corner, Phillip felt sick knowing that he was currently taking his daughter, his firstborn, to a place where she was supposed to spend her early years only so she could be put inside a magical wardrobe to whisk her off to another land and away from the curse. This was the last thing he wanted to do, but Skye had to be safe. Skye was safest with the wardrobe right now, not him and Snow._

_He stopped as he rounded the corner and saw two of Victoria’s soldiers on the other side of the corridor, a dead palace guard at each of their feet. One of them turned to him and looked at the bundle in his arms. Phillip prickled at the leering eyes that were cast on his daughter._

_“Remember what the Queen said,” the guard ordered his companion gruffly as they drew their swords. “Make sure the child dies.”_

_Fierce protectiveness for the baby girl in his arms surged through Phillip as the men advanced. Keeping a firm hold on Skye, he drew his sword and prepared to defend them from Victoria’s force._

_He’d fought two adversaries at once plenty of times before, and knew from experience that it could be quite difficult to gain the upper hand. With Skye in his arms, it was both more difficult, but also easier. The hard part was that one arm held Skye close to his chest while the other used a sword to fend off the attackers. Maneuvering out of the way was no easy feat either, a lesson he learned after one of the knights slashed his shoulder._

_It was the fierce protectiveness that he felt for his tiny daughter that gave him strength though. When one of the soldiers tried to bring his sword down into Skye, Phillip immediately blocked it and struck down the fool who tried to kill his little girl. With one down, the other was soon defeated. Phillip looked down at Skye to see if she was okay. She was staring up at him with curiosity, as if she wanted to fight too. When they were reunited in the new land, Phillip swore he would make sure that she was never going to pick up a sword and go into battle. It was a fatherly instinct, he realized, and continued on his way._

_At last, he reached the nursery. The book that Red, Hansel, and Gretel had given to them was lying on a table nearby the magical wardrobe. Ignoring the pain from the wound in his shoulder, he opened the wardrobe’s doors and placed the book in. Then Phillip laid Skye in gently on top of the book and kissed her forehead. His little baby girl, who’d only just come into the world, looked at him and blinked solemnly._

_“Find us,” he whispered, tucking her hand into the blanket. “We love you, Skye.”_

_With a shaky breath, he closed the wardrobe’s doors and locked them. For a moment, he felt a shuddering in the earth. It was gone as soon as it happened. Phillip opened the doors again, wondering if it had worked. Inside, there was no sign of Skye or the book._

_Phillip bowed his head and closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment before retreating back to his and Snow’s bedchamber._

* * *

 

_The doors slammed open and Victoria strode down the hall. Five of her soldiers had gone ahead of her to clear the way for her, but she could see them battling against the Three Knights. There was one body on the floor wearing the outfit of soldiers. Even though he was truly expendable, whoever he was, Victoria hated to see loyal blood spilled._

_The blonde knight, Sir Steven, looked up at her. “Look,” he said, firmly gripping his shield. “You don’t have to do this. Just think about what you’re doing.”_

_She shook her head in disgust. Was he actually trying to get her to surrender? What a fool! Summoning her magic up, Victoria raised her hand and released an icy blue bolt from it at him. Steven tried to block it with his shield, but the substance surrounded him completely. When she lowered her hand, he was encased in a solid block of thick ice._

_“No!” Sir Anthony shouted angrily as he and Sir Robert sprang forward with their swords. Victoria waved her hand, and they flew against the wall. Stone grew out of the walls and bound their hands and feet while they struggled in vain to release themselves._

_“You have caused me a great deal of trouble,” she hissed at them as she passed between them. “And because of that, I curse the new world to punish you in any way it can. You will suffer with yourselves, and never understand what you have done to deserve it.”_

_“You’ll be defeated!” Sir Anthony shouted as she distanced herself from them. “In twenty-four years, when the Savior comes, and she will, she’ll come for you.”_

_Victoria laughed. “I’d love to see a dead child try.”_

* * *

 

_Lee hurried down the hallways of the palace with his sword in hand. In the distance, he could hear the clangs of weapons against each other, and the sounds were getting nearer. At last, he peered around the corner and saw his father with two other knights. Looking out further, Lee’s eyes widened as he saw the Evil Queen his parents had spoken in hushed whispers of drawing up to them. As Sir Thomas stepped out with his sword at the ready, Lee felt proud of his father. He knew that his father was one of the best and bravest of the knights in the land. He could definitely defeat the Evil Queen._

_The pride and confidence changed into horror moments later when the wicked lady used magic to disarm Sir Thomas and then stab him through the chest with his own weapon. Lee stared as his father crumpled to the floor, dead. The two knights that had been there followed him shortly as the Evil Queen smote them down._

_With agonizing grief boiling up inside him, Lee drew his own sword and ran out from his hiding place, yelling in rage. His father’s killer turned toward him as he slashed at her face. A shallow cut marred her cheek, but she drew her hand over it and it healed. Then she turned to Lee and swiped at him. An invisible, heavy force slammed him to the ground, his sword clattering away._

_“You’ve got some nerve, haven’t you, you little brat,” she snarled at him furiously._

_“You killed my father!” Lee shouted at her. “You deserve to die!”_

_She started to laugh, and bent down beside him. From her cloak, she drew a dark blue velvet pouch. Lee struggled to get up, but the invisible force pressed harder on him._

_“You seem to love your family a lot if you’re willing to kill me,” murmured the witch as she sprinkled a small pile of something silver into her palm. “Let’s see what happens to them when love turns to rage.”_

_“Don’t you dare touch them!” screamed Lee as she put the pouch back. “If you try to hurt them..”_

_“Oh I won’t be hurting them,” the Evil Queen laughed. “But you will.”_

_With that she blew the silver powder at Lee’s face. He tried to shy away, but it was too late. All of a sudden, every good thing he felt for his mother and siblings vanished. He wasn’t worried about Xander or Lizzie or Grant or his mother anymore. He hated them! They wouldn’t let him protect Dad, who had been stupid and stubborn going off to fight a powerful sorceress on his own. The surviving members of his family deserved to be punished. He would make sure that they would suffer._

_And they would suffer by his hand._

* * *

 

_“Phillip!” Snow White crawled off the bed when her husband came in and stumbled into his arms._

_“Snow.” He uttered her name softly as he held her close. “I put her in. She’s gone.”_

_Snow closed her eyes and buried her face in her husband’s chest. Skye was safe and in the new world, waiting for them. Hopefully she could grow up in a loving, happy home. Still, nothing could dampen the pain she felt giving her baby up._

_“Well isn’t this lovely.”_

_Snow White stiffened. She and Phillip turned around to see Victoria standing in their chambers. Her step mother looked like she had won everything, but Snow knew better._

_“If you’re here for Skye, you’re too late.” Snow stepped out from behind Phillip as Victoria’s eyes widened._

_“Where is she?!” screeched Victoria angrily._

_“She got away,” Snow smiled. “She’s long gone, and safe from you. You’re going to lose, Victoria, because out daughter is going to break your curse, and bring back the happy endings.”_

_The Evil Queen chuckled. “I still have twenty-four years, you fools. A lot can be done in that time.”_

_A sudden ripping noise drew Snow’s attention above her head. She watched as the ceiling was torn away by a cloudy vortex. The windows burst open and smoke poured in. It began to swirl around them like a tornado, slowly creeping inward. Snow reached out toward Phillip, grasping his hand. She looked up at him for a moment before the smoke obscured her vision. Her hand began to slip from his._

_“Charming!” Snow White shouted. “Charming, I love you!”_

_“I will find you, Snow,” his voice called out. “I will always find you!”_

_The smoke fully enveloped her, wrenching her hand from her husband’s. Snow screamed as the weight of his hand vanished and her world fell into darkness._

* * *

 

_In a tower nearby, Grant, Jemma, Xander, Lizzie, Antoine, and Leo were gathered in a room with their mothers, as their fathers had gone to fight the invaders. Grant’s mother was panicking about Grant’s older brother, and crying while holding Xander in her lap. All of the other children were curious about what was happening, but they were hushed when they tried to ask. Leo managed to peek out the window to see Hansel, Gretel, and Red fighting soldiers, but had been pulled back seconds later by his mother._

_A little after he had been set down, Leo suddenly felt a prickling on the back of his neck, as though something bad was about to happen. Then the windows shattered and smoke poured inside. Jemma screamed and hugged Grant tightly. Antoine huddled close with them, and finally Leo joined the circle. He was scared, and wanted everything to be okay._

_He looked at the faces of his three friends before the smoke covered him and everything went dark._

* * *

 

_Hunan Province, China-24 years ago_

_The girl maneuvered her way through the reeds, searching for the basket she’d left her lunch in when she went to go work in the fields. Her little brother liked to play pranks on her sometimes and hide it, but one day he would also have to work in the fields too. Almost everyone she knew in Mofa Senlin, her village, worked in the fields. A few people here and there knew other trades, but everyone else farmed._

_Finally, she found her lunch basket and stooped down to pick it up. That’s when she heard a cry. It sounded like a baby’s, but no one would leave their baby behind in her village. It was a crime to her people, and the parents were shunned if they were discovered._

_Curious, the girl followed the noise. She reached a tall tree with a hole in it and stepped closer. A gasp came from her when she saw a baby girl in a white blanket, red-faced and bawling. Feeling sorry for the poor thing, she pulled the child from the tree and rocked her back and forth to calm her down. The baby’s sobs died down, and the two looked at each other. There was something written on the corner of the blanket, so the girl shifted it so she could see it better._

_“Skye,” she sounded out, gazing at the infant with a smile. “Let’s find out who you are.”_

_The baby gurgled in response, and the two set off back to the village._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the last of the main flashbacks, but others will pop up here and there.  
> Please review, tell me what you think!  
> By the way, type that village name into Google Translate and see what it means in Traditional Chinese.


	11. Austin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team lands in Austin, where Grant and Jemma go out on a date, Skye visits an old friend, and Leo mets with someone with potential information on Skye.

Chapter 10: Austin

_Yesterday my life was headed in one direction. Today, it is headed in another._ –Cloud Atlas

“Please tell me you aren’t going on your date wearing that?”

Jemma looked down at her cardigan and black pants, frowning. “What’s wrong with it?”

Skye raised her eyebrow. She had come into the bunk a few minutes ago to help her get ready for her date with Grant. Jemma was still in awe that he had asked her out. For a while after he’d done so, she had debated pinching herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Skye confirmed that it was real after she hacked Grant’s computer to show that he was looking for things to do and places to go while in Austin.

“You can’t wear your work clothes on a date, even if it is with the robot,” teased Skye, playing with the swan charm on her necklace.

Jemma huffed. “His name is Grant Ward. And if I shouldn’t wear this, then what should I wear?”

“Come back with me to my bunk,” Skye told her, grabbing her hand. “I’ve got an outfit for you.”

Jemma could only give a small squeak as Skye dragged her out the door and down the hall. They about ran over Fitz, who was looking down at his phone, on the way. Jemma mouthed a quick ‘sorry’ to him before she was pulled into Skye’s bunk. “I’ve got just the thing for you,” her friend muttered as she rummaged through a drawer.

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” Jemma protested weakly as she sat down on Skye’s bed.

The brunette turned to her. “I’ve never gotten to help someone get ready for a date before,” she admitted. “You’ve done so much for me, what with keeping me alive after Quinn shot me and everything. Just give me the chance to do something for you. I really want to.”

Jemma looked down at her lap. “Skye,” she murmured. “I would have done that for anyone.”

“But no one’s ever done something that big for me ever before, at least not before I met you guys,” Skye said as she tossed something to her. “Try this on.”

* * *

 

“ _But no one’s ever done something that big for me ever before, at least not before I met you guys_ ,” Skye’s muffled voice said. “ _Try this on._ ”

Leo moved away from the closed door of Skye’s bunk and walked back into his own. Reaching under the pillow on his bed, he withdrew the book that had revealed so much to him. Since he’d found it, he’d read it all the way through, discovering some pretty shocking details along the way. It wasn’t just Skye and May and him in there, but anyone he knew associated with SHIELD. All the people he’d gotten to know, they were from another world. Even most of the Avengers, except Thor, had popped up at some point in the book. Leo wondered if Agent Romanov could still turn into a wolf when there was a full moon. If she did, that would be pretty cool.

In his pocket, his phone buzzed. Leo pulled it out and stared at the text message he had just received.

_Yellow Bug Bar @ 6:30_

_‘Done’_ he typed in return. This was one of the last people Leo ever wanted to see, but he knew Skye before they did. But he could tell Leo about Skye’s past, and maybe give him more information as he traced Skye’s past.

* * *

 

“Wow,” was all Grant could say as Jemma came down the staircase to the cargo bay.

She was wearing a sleeveless white dress that brushed against her knees. Her hair was loose from its usual ponytail and slightly wavy. Jemma looked like an angel from heaven to him. Grant pinched himself to make sure he had not actually died and gone to heaven. “You look beautiful.”

“The dress was Skye’s idea,” she mumbled, ducking her head. “Apparently a cardigan and pants are my work clothes and they are not allowed on dates.”

Grant chuckled and shook his head. “You would have looked just as amazing in a cardigan,” he told her honestly. “But it might have been a little hot for Texas.”

“I never thought about that,” admitted Jemma as she brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “And I would like to say that you look quite handsome as well.”

“Not everything I own is a white t shirt or black Kevlar,” Grant joked as he gestured to his denim shirt. “Maybe sometimes I’ll pull out the canoe shirt.”

Jemma giggled. “You’re kidding.”

“Will you two just stop dancing around each other and go on your date!”

Grant looked up. Tripp, Skye and Fitz all stood above on the platform, grinning down at them.  Sighing, he turned back to Jemma. “We should get going then.”

“Have fun!” Tripp called out as they got into the SUV.

* * *

 

Skye knocked softly on Fitz’s door. It slid open, and the engineer’s curly head popped out. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Skye smiled at him, trying not to blush. “Um, so I wanted to thank you for last night. When I had that nightmare and you comforted me. It was really nice, and sweet.”

Fitz returned her smile. “It’s fine,” he reassured her. “I’ve always got a shoulder free for you. And anyone else who needs one too,” he added at the end. “How are you doing now?”

Skye shrugged. “Better,” she admitted. “I think that with everything that’s happened lately, I just overwhelmed and I needed to get it all out. You’ll keep a secret, right?”

“Of course. What happens in the bunks stays in the bunks.” He turned crimson as he heard himself. “Oh, no no no. Not like that. I mean…you understand what I meant, right?”

Skye giggled at his babbling. “I do.”

She turned to leave, but then remembered the other reason that she had come. “Hey do you remember what you said last night about reading fairytales?”

He nodded. Skye took a deep breath. “Do you have a book I can borrow to read? With fairytales?”

Something flickered over his face for a moment, but it passed before Skye could detect what it was. “Yeah,” he told her, disappearing into his bunk for a moment before returning with a blue book.

“Grimms’ Fairy Tales,” Fitz read, handing it over to her. “A bit dark, but this is pretty much the original, raw version of some of the stuff Disney does.”

“Thanks,” Skye ran her thumb over the cover. “I’ll get this back to you in a few days.”

“Hang on to it,” Fitz smiled. “Don’t rush. Give yourself all the time you need.”

Blushing, she mumbled a quick thank you and retreated to her bunk next door to put the book on her pillow. Grabbing her purse, Skye made her way down to the cargo bay and out of the Bus. Relying half on memory and half on her phone’s GPS, Skye navigated the streets of Austin, searching for her destination. The last time she’d been in the city, she hadn’t been on good terms with the team. Now, things were different. She was on her way to becoming an agent of SHIELD, and a team that was her family, even though she was still searching for her real one.

Finally, Skye reached the familiar stone wall and switched off the GPS. It had taken a little internet research, but she had managed to find who she was looking for. Hurrying forward to the door, she reached to grab the knocker.

“Well, if it isn’t Skye,” a warm, kind voice chuckled behind her.

Skye turned around and smiled at the nun who had just come around the corner of the building.

“Hello, Sister McKenna.”

* * *

 

“Hogwarts House,” Grant asked, taking a sip of his smoothie. Neither of them had been hungry for food, but the fresh made fruit smoothies at the ice cream parlor on the corner had caught both their eyes.

“That’s your question?” Jemma laughed. “I didn’t even think you knew about Harry Potter.”

“Well, I do,” he said, pretending to be in pain. “Now come on, what is it?”

Jemma rolled her eyes. This was too easy of a question for her. “Ravenclaw. And obviously you would be a Griffindor.”

Grant seemed a bit surprised by her answer. “I would have said you were a Griffindor or a Ravenclaw,” he said. “You seem pretty brave and selfless to me.”

“Really?” Jemma blushed a bit. “I never would have thought that.”

Grant smiled and Jemma felt her heart flutter. It was so warm and reassuring when he smiled. There was something about it that felt familiar and comforting to her, as though she’d seen it before she came on to the team.

As they walked down the street, their hands met and their fingers intertwined.

* * *

 

_Yellow Bug_ was a bar located in the middle of the block in downtown Austin. It announced its location with its name spelled out in school bus yellow neon letters that stood out against the brick of the building. To the left of the entrance was an old yellow Volkswagen mounted to the concrete. It was as though someone had just backed it there and left it behind.

Leo grinned at it as he opened the door. Inside, there were a couple customers scattered around in either booths or at the bar. Over the chatter, Leo could make out _Charley’s Girl_ playing on the speakers. He scanned the room in search of the person he had come to meet. He was sitting in a booth in the far corner. Mumbling a quick ‘excuse me’ to a group of men playing darts, he walked over to the booth and sat down across from the person seated there. He looked relatively the same since he had last seen him.

“Glad you could make it,” he greeted him, looking at the glass of beer in front of him. “I hope you’re sober.”

“This came just before you sat down,” Miles Lydon said with a sigh. “Now why do you want to see me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think of introducing Miles. He'll be a part of this story for a while, so if you don't like him, then you won't have to deal with him for too long.  
> Please review and tell me what you think of the latest addition!


	12. The Yellow Bug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo talks about Skye with Miles, Grant and Jemma enjoy thier date, and Skye recieves some words of support from an old friend.
> 
> And a kiss begins to bring back memories for one victim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new identity will be revealed in this chapter. *wink* There's going to be some very similar scenes coming from a certain S1 epsiode of OUAT, so if you can remember them, then you'll be able to figure it all out!
> 
> Also, I will be addressing the events of Bahrain in a later chapter. I'm ignoring the AOS canon for it, since the OUAT fandom has something I can use for Melinda perfectly.
> 
> And for those who can find it, there's a kind of quote from The Help- one of my favorite books.

Chapter 11: The Yellow Bug

_“Nice shot, Chief. I bet you 20 bucks you can't do it again.”_

–Sidney Glass, Once Upon a Time

The Bus was entirely empty except for Melinda. Everyone else had gone out somewhere, although Phil had been the last to leave. He’d asked her if she wanted to go see a movie, but she’d politely declined. His face had fallen a bit when she did so, and he left to go check something at a nearby base. Melinda had gone back to her bunks, where she had been ever since.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t wanted to go see a movie with him. Melinda really did want to, but she somehow felt as though the joy of seeing one had been sucked away. Ever since Bahrain, she’d felt this way. Everything in life that had been bright and fun to her became less so. Her emotions were just dampened, and she couldn’t explain why.

People cited Bahrain as the reason for her change, and made up fanciful stories about how heroic she was there. Melinda listened to these stories with a roll of her eyes, but never said anything against them. It hadn’t been what happened, she knew that.

But, she also didn’t know what had happened. One minute she was entering the building, and then the next thing she knew she was stumbling back out, dazed and empty. Something had happened inside the building, but all memory of it had vanished. Telling someone might have been a good idea, but Melinda wondered at times if she really wanted to remember.

* * *

 

“So I think the first thing I want to know is how you got back,” Fitz said. “Because I remember that you were dumped in another continent with pretty much nothing, and now you’re here.”

Miles nodded. He expected that to be a question when he first agreed to meet him. “Your team ditched me there, and I spent four days trying to figure out what to do. On the fifth, a suit comes up to me with a SHIELD badge and asked me my name. Turned out leaving me behind might have been okay for your team, but it wasn’t for the rest of the organization. They picked me up, gave me some dough, and brought me here. I had to keep the stupid tracking bracelet on up until last month though.”

“Who brought you back?”

Miles took a sip of his beer while his brain raced. It hadn’t been so much SHIELD finding him, more like she had. She’d been looking out for him for as long as he could remember, and he would do favors for her. One of those favors had been to get close to Skye to turn her against SHIELD.

“I want you to make sure this girl loathes everything about them,” she told him one night as they laid in bed together. “She’s young and impressionable. Make her hate them.”

“Why is it so important that she hates them?” he’d asked. “What if she can help you?”

“Oh Miles,” she’d laughed. “There is no way that someone like her can ever do anything to help me. Let her be the hindrance she’s always been.”

He hadn’t asked anymore beyond that, and went forward in search of the mysterious girl called Skye. It had been all too easy for him to find her. Skye was alone, struggling to survive, and a sloppy hacker. He tracked her down quickly (he had always been good at tracking) and offered to bring her into the fold of Rising Tide. She hadn’t even hesitated in accepting, and it was smooth work from there. Skye grew to become an exceptional hacker, dead set on exposing SHIELD to the work.

Then one day, out of the blue, she kissed him. The kiss was nothing like he’d ever experienced before. It made his head spin, and he could actually feel something there between them. With Victoria, there was nothing, but Skye made him feel. Victoria encouraged him to use any way to gain her trust, so he proceeded with forming a relationship with her. It was nice, refreshing really. But then SHIELD came and took it all away from him.

“Well?” Fitz said impatiently.

“Some agent, I don’t remember who,” Miles lied, keeping his face straight. “Is that the only reason you texted my number? To know how I got back?”

“Excuse me for trying to figure out why you didn’t appear in Hong Kong when I found a massive hack with your name all over it. It traced back to a laundromat here,” Fitz grumbled. “But I do want to ask about Skye. How long have you known her?”

“Two or three years,” he answered automatically. His memory of past events could be a bit hazy at times. “I caught her failing terribly trying to hack a bank account. Offered to teach her proper hacking.”

“Do you know anything about her past?”

Miles rolled his eyes. This guy was beginning to get really frustrating. “She grew up in an orphanage. I helped her figure out that SHIELD put her there, but that’s when we hit a dead end with a document redacted by them. That’s why she hacked you guys in the first place.”

Fitz hung his head and sighed. “Great.”

“Look, that’s all I know. Sorry for answering your questions,” Miles took another swig of his beer. “Anything else?”

“Nope.” Fitz stood up. “Thanks anyway.”

Miles watched as he left the bar, thinking over the questions. He’d asked Victoria what the deal with Skye was many times. Every time it had been another excuse that he’d blandly accepted. Sometimes he wondered why he always obeyed her. For as long as he could remember, he’d known her. But how they met…

A dart clattered beside his table. Miles looked up at the men who had been playing the game. He reached down, picked up the fallen item, and walked over to them.

“Mind if I join?”

* * *

 

When Leo Fitz left the bar, he didn’t know it, but he had done something. For twenty-four years, there had been two people who knew and believed in the curse. Leo made that number three. And because he had opened his eyes to the truth, he had weakened it. Strong spells had been put in place to keep the curse powerful. His belief was weakening those spells.

And soon, one victim of the curse would begin to awaken.

* * *

 

“So how have you been doing?” Sister McKenna questioned as she closed the door of the office where the nuns met with prospective parents. “I haven’t seen you for ages, sweet girl.”

Skye blushed and ducked her head. Growing up as an orphan had stunk a lot. Her childhood had been jam-packed with constant foster homes and parents and bitterness, but Sister McKenna had been the bright light in all that darkness. She was warm, open, and kind, and Skye had always loved her.

As she grew up, many of the nuns grew frustrated with her constant energy, and the kids who didn’t like her were often the favorites of the other nuns. There had been many incidents where Skye had been punished instead of the real culprit. The nuns would swoop in, dry the ‘poor dear’s fake tears, and scold her. “Mary Sue, why can’t you ever behave?” they’d say when she insisted that she was innocent. “No parent will want to adopt a mean little girl.”

Sister McKenna, on the other hand, was always fair, and made sure both sides were heard.

Ever since she could remember, Sister McKenna had been a part of her life. She was the only nun who called her Skye instead of Mary Sue, a name which Sister McKenna didn’t fit for a child with such great spirit. When times were tough, Skye knew she could always seek her out and confide her problems to an understanding soul. Before she got sent off to a new home, Skye always got a hug and a warm smile from her. Every time she was brought back, Sister McKenna would always be waiting for her with a comforting hug. When she was preparing to leave, Sister McKenna gave her an advertisement for a used van being sold at a reasonable price.

“It’s been about two years, I think,” Skye said after a moment. “A lot has happened since then.”

“Mm-hm,” the nun gave her a knowing nod. “You find anything else out about your parents?”

“Yeah, actually,” Skye sat down in one of the chairs. “And that’s the other reason I’m here.”

The nun frowned and sat in the chair beside her. “What happened, honey?”

Skye swallowed. “Sister McKenna, have you ever heard of SHIELD?”

To her relief, the woman shook her head. “No, why?”

Skye looked down at her lap, trying not to cry as she told her old friend what she had learned about herself in the past few months. She watched as the nun’s face softened with concern as the tale progressed. Deep down, she feared that she would be kicked out of the orphanage for whatever she was. What if the term ‘084’ would make the only person she’d ever been able to look up to as a child hate her?

However, Sister McKenna began to chuckle. “I always knew you were special, Skye,” she said. “Didn’t know how exactly, but I knew you were.”

“So you don’t hate me?”

“Hate you?!” Sister McKenna looked offended. “How could I hate you? How could anyone hate you?”

“Well, I’m an 084, an object of unknown origin,” Skye protested. “I was found in a village that had been massacred, and it’s likely that I’m the one who killed them all. I’m probably some sort of monster!”

“Skye,” Sister McKenna said gently, resting one hands over top of Skye’s. “Whatever happened in that village does not define who you are. This 048 thing…”

“084,” Skye corrected.

“If SHIELD calls you an 084, that means nothing,” the nun continued. “You say it’s an object of unknown origin?”

Skye nodded.

“Well, they’re wrong, because you’re no object, honey. You are a person who is worth something. You’ve got a light inside of you, and it touched people. It brings out the best in them. I know it was tough growing up here, but you got through it. And look at you now! You’re doing amazing out there in the world.”

A small smile began to creep across her face, and Skye felt herself blushing again.

“People are always going to try and tell you who you are, Skye,” Sister McKenna continued. “It doesn’t matter how old you are. They’ll always be there, and some will try to make you feel bad. But you can’t let all that bad bring you down. You just need to keep telling yourself that all those nasty things aren’t true. So if SHIELD tried to tell you all that 084 stuff and it makes you feel bad, then you tell yourself that you are kind, you are smart, you are important, and you are a person.”

Skye leaned over and hugged her. “Thank you,” she said. “You always make me feel better.”

“I remember when you used to want candy to make yourself feel better,” Sister McKenna joked, and they both laughed.

* * *

 

“Keats,” Audrey Hepburn protested.

“Shelly.”

Grant looked over at Jemma. They were in a move theatre having a classics festival. The choice had been between _It Happened One Night_ and _Roman Holiday_. They both agreed on the latter, and entered just as the movie was beginning. Grant found himself enjoying the movie a bit more than he had been expecting, and not just because Jemma was holding his hand.

He leaned over. “Keats,” he whispered.

She giggled. “Shelly.”

“Keats.”

“Shelly.”

“Shh!” someone hissed.

* * *

 

The _Yellow Bug_ had been the first place that Skye had ever gone to after leaving the orphanage. This was where Sister McKenna told her that the owner of the van worked. Skye had also waitressed there for a few months for some cash, and it had been where she first learned how to hack. Plus, they sold amazing apple turnovers, and she felt in the mood for one.

As she entered, Skye saw a large group of people gathered by the dart board. They were of all ages, talking in hushed voices. There was a sudden _thunk,_ and the crowd went crazy, cheering.

“That’s his seventh in a row!” someone called out. “How does he do it?”

Skye smiled to herself and began to clap with the rest of the patrons. A few people moved out of the way, and she caught sight of a man holding some darts in his hand while another clapped him on the back. The one with the darts turned, and Skye saw his face. His eyes locked with hers, and she felt her anger boiling up. Whirling around, she ran out the door.

“Skye, wait!” called Miles, running after her. As she stepped outside, he ran in front of her, blocking off her path.

“What the hell are you doing here!” Skye cried angrily. “Shouldn’t you be stranded in Hong Kong or wherever we dumped you?”

“I was, but SHIELD brought me back here,” Miles said. “Skye, I’m sorry. I was told to make you hate SHIELD-“

“What!” Skye gaped at him, enraged. Miles was told to make her hate SHIELD? She couldn’t believe it. “You were made to do that! What else were you made to do? Was that why you got into a relationship with me, huh? To manipulate me, you sick twisted jerk!”

“I had to do whatever was needed, but I didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?” Skye yelled, balling up her fists. “Tell me!”

“I didn’t expect to fall in love with you, Skye.”

The next thing she knew, he was kissing her. She felt herself fall back on the memories from when things were simpler. Just two hackers, desperate to expose the truth to the world, and falling in love on the way. When things had been simpler, when there’d been no betrayal.

The dirty traitor was kissing her.

Miles suddenly gasped, and Skye pushed him as hard as she could. He stumbled back against the yellow bug, looking about frantically.

“What. The. Hell.” Skye snarled, breathing heavily. How dare he? How dare he do that?

“D-did you see that?” Miles asked, sounded a bit scared.

She gave a disgusted snort. “Go crawl back to whatever hole you came out of, Miles. Good night.”

With that, she walked away from the bar in the direction it took to go back to the Bus.

* * *

 

Miles panted heavily, leaning back against the car. When he’d kissed Skye, he suddenly started to see things. He saw Victoria in a jeweled black dress. A girl who resembled Skye in a forest, offering him an apple. But the one that really stuck to him was the wolf. A white wolf with one black eye, and one red one.

He had only drunk the beer he had gotten when he first arrived, and it took a lot to get him drunk. Someone might have slipped something in his drink, but it didn’t seem like that. What he’d seen seemed more like….like…

Like memories.

* * *

 

_A Long Time Ago, Enchanted Forest_

_A howl echoed through the forest. A white wolf chased a deer through the brush and greenery of the woods. The prey had been running for a longtime, and was slowing down. The wolf stopped running, but the deer continued. She slowed down as she entered a small clearing that held a creek when it rained a lot. Finally, she was free._

_Two arrows buried themselves into the body of the young doe, and she fell to the earth, dead. Out of the bushes, a man emerged and made his way over to the fallen animal, kneeling beside the bocy._

_“Thank you for giving me your life, so that mine may go on,” he whispered, a tear escaping his eye. Other hunters mocked him for his display of emotion over prey. They hadn’t grown up like he had though._

_A whine made him lift his head. The wolf, his friend, padded beside him, nudging the fallen animal._

_“Don’t you worry, boy,” the Huntsman chuckled. “There’s plenty for the both of us.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! Anyone see that coming? Or freak out at the mention of apple turnovers?  
> Please review, tell me what you think of the new development!


	13. Beginning to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles has a strange dream, and Leo has a talk with Fury.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those who have been asking about Gretel will finally get to know who she really is in this chapter. Plus, any guesses on what Miles is going through? Does it sound familiar to the Oncers out there? *wink*

Chapter 12: Beginning to Remember

_“They say that dreams, dreams are memories…memories of another life.”_

_-Mr. Gold,_ Once Upon a Time

Victoria stared at the bathroom mirror, frowning at the red streaks of her reflection’s hair. They were not so much a fashion statement, but a sign of the curse weakening, a consequence that had been given to her when she cast the curse. Over the past twenty four years, there had been a few small ones that came from casting perception spells for the ones who wouldn’t age, such as herself, her allies, the fairies, and the Huntsman. But a few days ago, many strands had begun to turn red. She’d had to buy brown hair dye to hide them from the eyes of suspicious SHIELD agents.

As Victoria gazed at the mirror, another strand turned red, and her face contorted into a snarl. Someone had found the book the idiots had left behind when they cleared out of the last base, she just knew it. But even worse, they were believing! And if they were believing, then the curse would continue to weaken, and they might even try to seek out the Savior.

She had to find out who had the book, and she needed to stop them at all costs.

* * *

_Enchanted Forest, Many years ago_

_“We have him, Your Majesty,”_

_Victoria rose from the divan. “You may go,” she said to the guards, dismissing them. The huntsman who had arrived with them was now her only company in the room. He looked rugged and rough and quite promising._

_“Do you have a name?” she murmured as she walked around him, inspecting him. “Or shall I just call you ‘The Huntsman’?”_

_He remained silent. Victoria frowned._

_“The Huntsman it is then,” the queen continued, gazing at him. “You’re not much of a talker, Huntsman. Could that be why your family abandoned you? Because you were a mute?”_

_The Huntsman looked her in the eye, and Victoria was pleased to see a slight fire pass through his eyes. She’d hit a nerve._

_“All my parents ever did was give birth to me,” he said. “The wolves were the ones who took care of me, and raised me. They are my family, not those creatures who abandoned me. Why have you brought me here though? Surely it wasn’t to discuss my life.”_

_“I am in need of someone to carry out a murder,” Victoria explained, her lip curling in disgust as she thought about her stepdaughter._

_The king had always favored Snow White and practically ignored the woman he had married. She’d loathed the princess a long time ago, when she had first married the king. If he hadn’t been in search of a replacement mother for the little brat, Victoria would have never met him. But the chance to claim power in the kingdom had been there, and she had gone for it. Back then, Snow White was still an innocent young child, left in Victoria’s charge. King Leopold spent time with the two of them when things were like that. but the moment Snow White was grown, Leopold’s favor for Victoria went up in smoke as he focused solely on grooming his daughter to be his successor._

_There had been no remorse in her heart when she put those vipers in Leopold’s bed a week ago. His last strangled breathes had been like music to her ears._

_“So why do you call upon me?” the Huntsman asked. “You have a palace full of guards to do your bidding. Why not have one of them commit the crime for you?”_

_“Because a lack of human attachment is needed, especially when the victim is loved by everyone,” she told him. “That’s why I need you. You do this for me, and I will give you a place in my court, in this palace. You can spend your life in luxury, never wanting anything again.”_

_“No.”_

_Victoria jerked back in surprise. “I offer you all you could ever desire, and you reject me?”_

_“This is a cage. I will not be out in one, especially not one so gilded,” the Huntsman replied._

_“So what do I have to give to you do you complete the task?” Victoria questioned, crossing her arms._

_“Outlaw the hunting of wolves,” the man said. “Protect them. Punish those who kill such a noble creature with death.”_

_“Simple enough.” Victoria was all too pleased by the ease of the request. It wasn’t too detrimental, and surely hunters should find other things to kill._

_The Huntsman nodded. “So who am I to kill?”_

_Victoria felt a smile creep across her face as she told him._

_“Snow White.”_

* * *

Victoria exited the bathroom and stopped in the middle of the room. Miles was getting dressed, but something was wrong. He was worried and frantic, as if something was about to get him. She frowned, concerned about him now. He had arrived the previous night, unannounced and kissed her heatedly. Things quickly escalated to the bedroom afterwards.

“Miles?” She took a step closer to him, resting her hand on his as he tried to button his shirt. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I need to go,” he stammered. “I had a strange dream.”

Victoria blinked, puzzled. “What sort of dream? Can you tell me what happened?”

Miles sighed, staring off into space. “I was in the woods, and I was hunting. There was a…a wolf with me too. I shot a deer with an arrow. The wolf lured him out for me. He was white, with one red eye, and one black one. It was like he was…like he was my friend.”

Victoria stiffened. She’d heard descriptions of that wolf before, seen it in her magic mirror back in the Enchanted Forest. But how was Miles suddenly seeing his old life in his dreams?

“Well, it was only a dream,” she said nonchalantly, running her hands over his shoulders. “Let’s get you back to bed. You’re burning up right now.”

“No, I need to go figure this out,” Miles snapped, breaking away from her and heading toward the door. “I can’t leave this. I’m sorry, but I need a break, Victoria.”

“Miles, wait-”

But the door had already slammed shut, and he was gone. Victoria huffed with annoyance and sat down on the bed. Twenty-four years had passed, and the Savior had arrived to SHIELD. Every measure she had taken to drive Skye away had failed. She’d thrown Miles at her, treated her with coldness and distrust, kicked her off the plane, and even got Ian to shot her. That last task had almost been a success. She’d called the Swiss medical center they’d taken Skye to and heard that girl was on life support. But somehow, the girl was still alive and perfectly fine.

Skye had to be responsible for Miles’s behavior. Coulson’s team had landed at a nearby SHIELD base, putting the Savior close by. The wretched child might have found the book, and now she or someone else was believing.

* * *

“I know who you are.”

Nicholas turned toward the sound of the voice, now facing away from the clock in the main lobby of the SHIELD base. Standing in the moonlight was the engineer on Phillip’s team, Leopold Fitz. Nicholas had seen him in his visions of the future that he’d had back in the Enchanted Forest. He had a feeling that the boy was referring to who he had been back there, but he needed to make sure of it.

“I should hope you do, since I’m the damn Director,” Nichols replied, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Not here,” Fitz shook his head. “In the Enchanted Forest, you were a wizard. Nicholas. The Dark One.”

The kid actually knew what he was talking about. Nicholas nodded slowly. “Want to tell me how you figured this out?”

“I found this at the last abandoned Centipede place,” the boy explained, reaching into a bag and pulling out a thick leather-bound book. “You’re in it. I saw you in one of the pictures. And I saw a picture of Snow White and it was May, but then May was Snow White for a moment.”

“So you believe.” Nicholas stepped up to the young scientist. “But do you remember?”

Fitz was hesitant in answering. “I…can see flashes, little pieces, but it’s too hazy. I believe though. Science discourages belief in magic, but seeing as I’m not a regular scientist, I’ve always had a little faith in it. Also, the pictures help me too.”

“Do you know who the Savior is?”

“Yeah, Skye. She’s this girl on the team-”

“I know who she is,” Nicholas interrupted. “I saw bits of her future long ago in the Enchanted Forest.”

“I have to tell her about this,” Fitz murmured, running a hand over the book. “She needs to know. It’s her destiny. Bring back the happy endings and all that, yeah?”

“It is a possible path, provided she defeats the Evil Queen and breaks the curse, yes,” Nicholas nodded. “But telling her about all this won’t get her to believe. She’ll think you’re crazy, and that could end in you getting locked up in the psych ward. However, Skye will find out the truth, but only when the time comes for it to reveal itself to her.”

“So how do I get her to believe in this?”

“I understand your team is being sent to China next. Do you know what’s in China?”

“The village where Skye came through,” Fitz answered quickly. “But it was destroyed. Do you know what happened to it?”

“The Evil Queen located her, and led an attack on the village.  She believed that the entire village had been slaughtered, and there were no survivors. However, a woman named Linda Avery was on a team sent to investigate the village and found Skye. She took her to an orphanage to keep her safe. A few years later, she died on a bad op. Queen’s probably responsible for it going sour, if you ask me.” Nicholas paused a moment to think about Avery, or Gretel as she was known in the Enchanted Forest. She and Barton were made to believe they weren’t siblings when the curse brought them here. He’d hoped the two would survive until it was broken, but it didn’t seem like it was meant to be.

“I’m sure though,” Nicholas continued. “that there must be something there in the ruins that you can use to give her the push she needs to figure it out. And you’ve got that book there too.”

“So you’re saying to take her out to the village that she was found in because there might be something that will help her believe hidden out there?” Fitz asked, his voice seeking out conformation.

Nicholas nodded and the boy sighed. “I think I can do that.”

“Do it, but do not overwhelm her,” Nicholas instructed, pulling a card from his coat and passing it to Fitz. “You see anything that is strange and magical out there, call this number.”

Fitz bobbed his head vigorously as Nicholas looked down at his watch. “You better head back to your plane ‘n get some sleep.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you, Dark One…Director Fury.”

He watched as Fitz scurried off. A sigh escaped Nicholas as he turned and made his way down the halls of the currently empty base. During his time in the dungeons of the castle, he’d seen pieces of Leo Fitz’s future. The little boy who had unknowingly helped Snow White chose to send Skye to this world was destined to be a believer. He was the spark of faith that was emerging after twenty four years of dark hopelessness. But as bright as he was shining right now, Leopold Fitz was approaching a stretch of difficult choices. If he was to get the Savior to believe, then he would be facing many challenges.

And the one that would get Skye to fully accept her destiny might also be the one that would cost Fitz his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how about that for an ending? A little worried for Leo now?
> 
> Please review and tell me your thoughts!


	14. Slip-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the past, the Evil Queen discovers where in the baby Savior is located.
> 
> In present day, Jemma hears something odd from Leo, and Skye has something to ask him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, should say this, but in the English to Chinese translation (on Google because I'm lazy) Mofa-Senlin is Enchanted Forest.  
> Ehhhhh?

Chapter 13: Slip-Up

_“I just like to come here to see him.”_ –Mary Margaret, Once Upon a Time

_Hunan Province, China, 24 years ago_

_“You say that the baby was found in a village? Which one?”_

_Victoria waited as her translator spoke to the farmer, who nodded vigorously and babbled something in response. She smiled darkly as she looked out at the landscape around her. It had been only a few weeks since the curse had brought the residents of the Enchanted Forest here, and things were going smoothly. Practically everyone was part of an organization known as SHIELD. She held a significantly high position in it, although the director of it all was Nicholas, or Nick Fury, as he was called here. Phillip and Snow White were now Phil Coulson and Melinda May, two new agents who barely knew each other. Nobody except herself, the King, and their selected allies had any traces of remembering who they really were. Victoria wasn’t certain about Nicholas though, even though she had removed her face from his memory to prevent recognition._

_SHIELD’s job was to investigate strange happenings and sort them out. While there were surely other threats out there in this new world, Victoria was devoting all her energy on making sure that the curse would stay in place. Anything that posed a threat needed to be eliminated. For instance, the sudden appearance of a baby girl, found abandoned nearby a village in a forest._

_“He says the baby was found by Mofa-Senlin,” the translator told her. “It’s a lovely name for a village. In your language, it means ‘enchanted forest’.”_

_Enchanted Forest. Victoria narrowed her eyes and turned toward her companion, the King. “It’s got to be her then.”_

_“So what shall we do?” he replied as they both looked down the road the farmer had been driving his cart on._

_Victoria smiled as a plan formed. “We destroy the village. Everybody in it will die, and the Savior will die with them.”_

* * *

 

_Present Day_

            Jemma looked over at Fitz, who was staring through a microscope intensely. Underneath the lens was a sample of the Centipede serum. Why he was even looking at it baffled her. There were other ways to figure out how to stop Centipede, and even though analyzing the serum in the blood sample might provide some clues, she doubted it would do a whole lot to help them track down where they were currently stationed.

            Sighing, she looked through the lab doors into the cargo bay. Skye was throwing her fists at the punching bag that Grant was holding steady. His eyes connected with hers, and he smiled at her. Jemma blushed and smiled back at him. It had been a few days since their first date together, and they’d started to spend more time around each other. Grant would visit her in the lab more frequently, something Fitz was starting to notice. Her best friend had been giving the team’s specialist dirty looks intermingled with curiosity, which was usually followed by a hasty exit.

“Simmons!”

Jemma jumped at the sound of Fitz’s voice. Her hand knocked against an empty beaker, sending it off the table and onto the ground with a crash. She groaned and turned around to look at Fitz. He was staring at her with his eyebrows raised.

“Sorry, did you say something?” Jemma said softly, bending down to pick up the bits of broken glass.

“Yeah, five times in a row,” grumbled Fitz, leaning back against the table. “I asked you if you were ready for the mission in Nanjing.”

“Oh,” she nodded and resumed picking up the shards of glass. “Um, yes. I am quite ready.”

Fitz looked like he was trying not to smile as he turned back to his microscope. “I can see you’re quite calm and focused today. Wouldn’t have to do with a certain specialist, would it?”

Jemma snapped her head up, glaring dirtily at him. “No, absolutely not! Fitz, I am perfectly calm.”

Fitz shrugged, and Jemma started to pick up the pieces again.

“Bet you were calm when you shot Jiminy Cricket at the Hub too.”

            Jemma froze, flicking her eyes up at Fitz. Her friend’s words had barely been audible, but she could still hear them. Confusion struck her with his words. She’d shot Agent Sitwell, not Jiminy Cricket, at the Hub. Perhaps he was giving people nicknames. After all, Fitz did love fairy-tales.

            But what if he actually thought that Agent Sitwell was Jiminy Cricket? It was a ridiculous thought, yet she was still considering it. She had seen Fitz reading a book of fairy tales during the past few days. Also, he’d been acting funny ever since they investigated the last Centipede base. Jemma wasn’t blind to the suspicious looks he’d been giving May and Coulson recently. Did he think they were also fairy tale characters?

            Sighing to herself, Jemma pushed the thought off to the side. She decided to let it pass for now, but if it ever came up again, she would dig deeper into the matter. Perhaps she should talk to Grant about this. Maybe he knew something that had happened to Fitz that she didn’t.

            A hiss indicated the lab doors sliding open, followed shortly by Skye’s entrance. Jemma disposed of the last bits of glass and stood up. Fitz, on the other hand, had whirled around in his lab stool and was beaming at the hacker. Poor boy had such an obvious crush on her. He really needed to tell Skye how he felt. After all, he and Skye had badgered her for ages about her feelings for Grant.

“Anything exciting going on in here?” Skye asked, sliding up onto a stool. Her forehead was beaded with sweat, and strands of her hair clung to her skin.

Jemma shrugged. “Nothing much really. How was your training session with Gra-Ward?”

Skye gave her a look that said ‘are-you-kidding-me’. “I never thought that I would hate a punching bag more than sit-ups. Not even kidding, my arms feel like wet noodles. And by the way, you can call him Grant in front of us. We saw you guys go out on your date, no need for secrecy. Oh, and speaking of my lovely SO, he asked if you wanted to play a game of UpWords with him upstairs. I wasn’t invited, so you two just get to have fun without me.”

“Oh,” Jemma smiled and reached her hand to her ear to tuck back a piece of hair, but there was nothing for her to tuck back. She dropped her hand back down to her side. “Well, that sounds like fun. Fitz, are you okay if I scoot out and-”

“Yeah, yeah, go ahead,” her friend said, waving his hand at her. “I’ll be fine down here.”

“I can keep you company if you want?” Skye proposed, smiling at Fitz. “Actually, I kind of want to ask you a question.”

Jemma felt her eyebrows shot up as she pursed her lips to hide the grin that was trying to stretch across her face. “I’ll give you two some alone time then,” she said with a wink.

Fitz shot a glare at her as she exited the lab. It didn’t bother her at all. Served him right for teasing her about Ward.

* * *

 

            Leo sighed as Simmons left the lab. His face was probably pink with embarrassment from her parting comment. Although in hindsight, he probably deserved it for teasing her about Ward. Truth was, he was wary about his best friend’s involvement with the team specialist. The few other specialists Fitz had met besides Ward all had a tendency to be closed off and unattached to the world. If he was going to assume anything off the little looks that he saw Simmons giving Ward, then it was obvious that she cared a lot about him. The last thing Fitz wanted was to see her get her heart broken by Ward if (or when) he rejected her. Plus, there was also the slight matter of specialists being the highest casualty rate in SHIELD’s databases. The job of a specialist was filled with constant danger and risk, and there had been many deaths of them in the field.

He wondered if the Evil Queen was responsible for any of those deaths.

“Fitz?” Skye called out, drawing him back to reality. “You in there?”

Leo nodded, blinking his eyes a few times. “Yep, just spaced out for a mo. What’s up?”

“Well, I wanted to thank you for the book that you got me,” Skye began, leaning forward on the lab table, her hands clasped.

“Oh, how was it? Did it help?”

Skye nodded. “Actually, yeah. It really did. I was expecting nightmares on the night we had off in Austin, but I didn’t.’

Leo frowned. “Why were you expecting nightmares?”

“I just had a feeling, that’s all,” Skye said quickly. She was hiding something, but it must have been something uncomfortable. “Anyway, I want to ask something.”

“Okay, shoot.” Leo set down the clean glass slide that he had been fiddling with slightly. Last thing he needed to do right now was to pull a Simmons and break more glass. His mind swarmed with the possibilities of questions that he could ask her. Had she found the storybook in his bunk? Had something odd happened to her?

“Okay, so you know how we’re going to China for our next assignment?”

Leo nodded, prompting Skye to continue talking. “So, I was talking with Coulson and I asked him if I could maybe go and see the village where I was found. Not immediately, but when whatever we’re doing is all sorted out and done and we have extra time. I mean, it sounds a bit odd, but I want to see where I was found. Maybe there’s something still there that I can find that could give me another clue to figuring out who I am. Anyway, I told all this to Coulson, although it wasn’t an awkward babble like this is, and he said yes, he’d take me out there.”

“That’s good, right?” Leo said, happy for her. “Do you think you’ll find anything?”

“Who knows?” Skye told him with a shrug. “But I, um, wanted to know if you’d come with me too.”

“To-to the village?”

Her gaze shifted downward. “It’s fine if you don’t want to. I was just wondering if you were interested in coming because you know…about me.”

“No, no,” Leo shook his head, remembering what Fury had said to him.

This was the village where Skye had come through from the Enchanted Forest. It was entirely possible that there was at least something there that could connect to her journey. Maybe that was why it had been destroyed? What if the Evil Queen had been the one who destroyed the village? Leo’s brain latched on the possibility and suddenly an explanation for what had happened came to him. Skye was the Savior, born to break the curse cast by the Evil Queen. She was a threat to the villain, and it would make sense for her to try and kill Skye and the people protecting her. Thank goodness she failed to kill the former though.

“Soooo are you coming with me?” Skye asked, bringing him back to the real world once again. He really needed to stop spacing out.

Leo nodded at her, smiling. “I think I can do that.”

Skye’s face broke out into a massive grin, and she hopped off the stool to hug him. Leo felt a little hot as he awkwardly returned the embrace.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Skye squealed before stepping back. “Alright, I’m gonna go shower because I’m sweaty, but I’ll come back down later.”

            Leo glanced downward at his button-down, cringing at the damp spots on it. Both of them had forgotten how sweaty she was from her workout.  Skye began to back out of the lab.

“Sorry!” she apologized, smiling sheepishly.

            Leo snorted in amusement and shook his head as Skye climbed up the spiral staircase. After she disappeared from his line of sight, he leaned forward on the Holotable, thinking again about the curse. Surely, Skye was going to find out about her destiny sooner or later. He could only hope that there was something in that village that would provide a hint to her about who she was, or even maybe who the Evil Queen was? That was a mystery he had yet to solve.

But if there was something in that village, then Leo was going to do all he could to find it for Skye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they're off to the village, but what will they find?
> 
> Please leave a review!


	15. The Chase and The Village

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flashback of Snow White and the Huntsman as the former realizes her stepmother's plot. In present day, Skye, Coulson, and Leo visit Mofo Senlin.

Chapter 14: The Chase and the Village

_“Sometimes, other priorities assert themselves.”_ –August W. Booth/Pinnochio

_Enchanted Forest_

_“It’s been such a long time since I last saw the Summer Palace,” Snow White said. “I wonder it’s changed much since I was last there.”_

_Beside her, the Huntsman nodded respectfully. The princess was to be escorted to the Summer Palace ahead of the rest of the palace residents. Or at least that was what she had been told. Victoria had actually instructed him to be the one who escorted the princess to the palace. However, Snow White would never reach the Summer Palace, as the Huntsman would kill her before they ever got close. He was then to cut out her heart, and return to the queen. The naïve princess wouldn’t be able to scream before he slit her throat if all went according to plan. They just needed to get a little deeper in the woods before he could do so though._

_“It used to be my favorite place to go when I was little, back when my mother was still alive,” the princess chattered on, gazing at the forest around her as they walked. “Even after she died though, I still liked it. Father was sadder though when we went, since Mother loved it too and it reminded him a lot of her. Now, it’s just me going there without either of them.”_

_“Mm,” he mumbled in reply, shifting uncomfortably in the armor he had been given. Queen Victoria had insisted he wear it, as he was masquerading as a guard._

_Snow White chuckled a little and turned to him. “You know, it’s okay to take off the helmet if you want. It has to be sweltering under there.”_

_He had to give credit to the girl. The ridiculous helmet with its black feathers was making him sweat profusely. The Huntsman reached a hand up and pulled it off of his head. He let out a huff of air and held the helmet under his arm. The princess smiled kindly before reaching into her cloak, revealing a small pouch belted to the side of her dress. He watched as she untied the knot on it and put her hands inside. They emerged with two ripe red apples._

_“Hungry?” She held the apple out to him in offering._

_The Huntsman shook his head, electing instead to take a drink from his own canteen. “Why do you offer me food?” he asked as she took a bite of her apple. He was curious by it, and also slightly amused that the one he was to kill was being so generous._

_Snow White chewed and swallowed her mouthful carefully. “I just thought you might be hungry,” she said simply._

_He noticed she was watching him carefully now, as though he was going to strike now. Deciding that he could easily kill her if that was the case, the Huntsman decided to take a gamble. “Something bothering you?”_

_“It’s just that all the other knights have offered me their condolences for my father’s death except for you,” she said coolly, beginning to walk again._

_“I’m sorry for your loss,” he mumbled automatically, hoping to correct his wrong as he started to walk with her too._

_“Your armor isn’t on properly either.”_

_He froze at the serious tone in her voice. He realized she had stopped while he kept walking and turned around to see her gazing at him with distrust._

_“All knights know how to put on their armor properly. Clearly, you aren’t one.” She was backing up now, her fists clenched. “Who are you really?”_

_Perhaps it was best to pretend he had no idea what she was talking about, to continue to play with the charade. “I was assigned to escort you to the palace.”_

_“By my stepmother,” Snow White murmured, a knowing expression on her face. “Victoria. She wants you to kill me.”_

_So she was smarter than she looked. That didn’t matter to him now. The Huntsman drew his knife from his belt, but Snow White moved swiftly and grabbed a heavy branch lying on the ground. She swung it at him hard, the sudden force of it knocking him back. He hit the ground, his knife clattering out onto the ground beside him. As he pulled himself up, he saw her running away, her cloak flowing behind her. Grunting, he ignored the helmet lying on the ground and unstrapped the rest of his armor, revealing his hunting clothes underneath._

_The chase was on. The hunt had begun._

* * *

 

Miles bolted upright in his bed, panting heavily. Reaching over to turn on his lamp, he ran his fingers through his hair as his breathing slowed down.

            These dreams kept coming every night now, always feeling like memories from some place. Sometime they repeated, other times he saw new things, like tonight. The girl, she was freaking Snow White! She looked so much like Skye, or at least related to her in some way. And Victoria had appeared in other ones, as a queen. She’d called him The Huntsman. All of it, everything…it was like a big messed-up fairy tale.

            Miles remembered how the runty SHIELD agent, Fitz, had met with him and asked about Skye’s past. Had he been having dreams too? Was he working with Victoria? What about himself? Why was he so loyal to Victoria?

            She’d left a message saying that she was going to be in China for the next few weeks. Perhaps in that time, he could find some answers to his strange memory-like dreams.

* * *

 

“So this is it.”

            Leo was, in a word, stunned. What must have once been buildings and homes were now shells of what they used to be. There were patches of grass that grew thickly in some areas, and others where there was bare of it. Skye stood slightly ahead of him and Coulson. Leo was unable to tell what exactly she was feeling, but it was probably sadness. Stealing a glance at Coulson, he noticed the older man looking sad as well. Leo felt his heart ache as he held back the urge to scream out that Skye didn’t need to search for her family anymore, and hadn’t needed to for a long time. She’d already found her parents, but neither parents nor daughter knew the truth. Only he did. Coulson’s true self, Prince Charming, was cursed to forget who he really was, and Coulson now would never believe that he was a fairytale character. The same was true for May.

Leo took a step up to stand beside Skye. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Skye nodded slowly, wiping her eye. “I’m fine. It’s just…it’s a lot. They found me here, the only survivor. Now I’m here again, and there’s no one except for us.”

Leo murmured in agreement as Coulson cleared his throat. “Do you want to take a look around here?”

Skye looked back and smiled. “Is that okay?”

“It’s fine,” Coulson replied. Skye gave them each a smile as she turned and began to make her way down a row of crumbled houses.

Leo watched her go and looked at his remaining companion. “Erm, mind if I take a look around the outskirts of the village? See if maybe there’s something on the outside that relates to this?”

“Go ahead.”

“Okay, thanks.”

            With that, he headed toward the posts stuck in the ground that might have once made a sort of wall. Peering behind him, he watched Coulson make his way down another lane of houses. Satisfied that he was on his own now, Leo pulled the book out of his bag and flipped it open to the last few chapters. Thumbing through the tale of the Dark Curse, he found the part about Skye going into the wardrobe, hoping he would find something about where she came through.

“C’mon,” he muttered. “Please let there be something.”

As he muttered this, he didn’t notice the pages underneath the one he was on glow. Leo flipped the page he was on and scanned over the next one, and then flipped to the next. Frowning, he saw the end of the last chapter on the left page, but the right page was different. It had once been blank, but now there was writing on the page, along with an illustration. The picture was the same sort of style as the other ones in the story, and featured a baby wrapped in a blanket in the hollow of a tree. On the side of the blanket, Skye’s name was visible.

“How?” Leo asked himself as he started to read the newest segment to the book.

            According to it, Skye had been found in the hollow of a tree by a young child and brought back to the village. She lived there with a family until one day, when the Evil Queen arrived and attacked. All the villagers had been slaughtered when they refused to give up the girl, and the Queen assumed the Savior died in her massacre. However, she had miraculously survived it.

            There was still more in the chapter to go, but Leo was eager to find the tree. Holding the book open to the beginning of the chapter so he could see the illustration, Leo began to head toward the bordering forest. He started by looking at all the bordering trees, but all were healthy and whole. Then he moved in a little deeper, but still he couldn’t find the one he was looking for. Some did have hollows, but they were small and not what he was looking for.

            With a heavy sigh, Leo sat down on a fallen tree. There were too many trees in the forest for him to cover, and Coulson and Skye would be ready to leave before he even made a dent in the forest. At least he knew that it couldn’t be too deep in. That eliminated a few, but it was still a lot of ground to cover. Maybe he could hit a few more, just for the heck of it.

            Getting up from the log he was on, Leo walked toward one tree. He didn’t see anything on the side that was facing him, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t anything on the other side. As he crept around, his hand running along the bark of the tree, he felt a change in the bark. It cut off suddenly as his hand fell into a hollow. He pulled it out in case someone had made a home out of it and wanted to defend the property. When nothing lunged out, Leo crept around a little further. Now he could see a hollow, wide enough for a baby to reside in. He looked down at the book and then up at the hollow. The tree before him had aged considerably, but it was still the same as the illustration in the book. It was the tree where she came through.

            As he took a photograph of the tree, perhaps to show Skye later after she knew the truth, a distant cry echoed in the woods. His thoughts turned to Skye, and remembered a nightmare he had had a few nights before. Skye had been about to believe, but then the Evil Queen jumped out of nowhere and killed her in front of him. Even though it was unlikely his nightmare was true, he still shut the book, shoved it in his bag, and ran out toward the village as fast as he could.

            He didn’t hear anything else as he stumbled down the hill and through the entrance. When he came to a split in the road where he had been standing with Skye and Coulson earlier, the latter was outside one of the ruined houses. Leo ran toward him quickly, looking around rapidly for Skye. “What happened? Is Skye okay?”

Coulson’s eyes were sad. “She found something.”

“What did she find?” he asked, starting toward the house. “Skye?”

An arm came in front of him, and Coulson shook his head. Skye came out of the house, clutching something white in her hands and crying. Leo’s eyebrows knitted as he stared at it. Finally, it clicked when he saw the turquoise ribbon threaded on the side. This was Skye’s blanket that her parents had wrapped her in after she had been born.

“Skye?” Leo repeated. “What is that?”

            Her hands shaking, she held out the blanket for him and Coulson to see. It was a more faded and slightly dirtier than the illustration in the book showed it, but it was still surely hers.

“I found it in a box in a room with a bassinet and a bunch of old cots,” Skye sniffled. “I think my parents lived here. But they’re dead. My parents are dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how about that?  
> Please please please review!


	16. I Think I Love Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil comforts Skye over the discovery, and a very loopy Grant makes an interesting confession.

Chapter 15: I Think I Love Her

            Phil approached the van calmly since he wasn’t certain of how exactly the person inside was exactly. But he knew this was the place Skye went when she needed to be alone. Everyone had their own place they went to when they needed some time to themselves. Phil recalled climbing up in a tree in his backyard multiple times after his father passed away. Nowadays, he sat in Lola if he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Phil understood that Skye wanted to be alone, but he was also concerned about her since it had been hours since he had last seen her.

Reaching out, he knocked on the door to the van. “Skye?”

The window rolled down, but she wasn’t visible. “You need something, AC?”

“Just wondering how you were doing.” Phil replied, shoving his hands into his pockets.

He heard a sniffle on the other side. “I’m okay, I think.”

“You think?” That didn’t seem like a good answer.

“Do you mind opening the door?” Phil asked. “I tend to carry conversations with people face to face than when I’m talking to them through something.”

            There was the click of the door unlocking, or at least that’s what it sounded like to him. He reached out and gave it a tug. It opened, and he got inside the van. He sat in the seat closest to the door he’d come in. Skye sat in the seat on the other side, readjusting herself so she was sitting up straight. The blanket she’d found in the village was in her hands, and the hacker’s cheeks were stained with tears. She wiped her eyes and swallowed. “Hey, AC.”

He nodded at her. “You doing okay?”

Skye put on a fake smile and opened her mouth, but Phil gave her what Clint has referred to as his ‘Dad look’. It was good at making people cut the bull and tell what was really going on. Skye must have gotten the message behind it, as her face fell and she shook her head.

“My parents, they must have lived there,” Skye murmured, looking down at the floor of the van. “But I can’t stop wondering if I was abandoned there instead. The agent you met up with said I was an 084, right? What if I was born with powers and they left me there because of it? What if I killed my parents with my powers?”

Phil waited as she rambled a few more potential scenarios. He felt his heart ache for the girl who was so much of a daughter to him. She didn’t deserve all the pain and sadness she’d gone through. Hell, if he had known how her life was going to turn out, Phil would have just screwed protocol and adopted her himself long ago.

“I’m overreacting, aren’t I?” Skye mumbled eventually, setting the blanket down on the seat between them. “God, I’m such a mess today.”

“Given what you found out today, it’s reasonable,” Phil told her. “It’s a lot for anyone to digest.”

“Still, I cried on Fitz’s shoulder for half an hour,” Skye snorted a laugh. “I guess I’ve just got a lot of stuff pent-up from this.”

They were quiet for a while. Skye reached over and ran her finger over the stitching of her name on the blanket. “Hey, can I just say something?”

Phil nodded. “Shoot.”

“Bang.” Skye grinned as she made a finger gun. Phil couldn’t help but crack a smile. Skye laughed and continued. “Ever since you and Ward picked me up, you’ve always looked out for me, almost like a father. Even though I’ll probably never be able to meet my real dad, I think that I really would have wanted him to be a lot like you.”

She leaned over and gave him a hug. Phil smiled and hugged his surrogate daughter back.

“I don’t have any children, Skye,” he said. “But if I had ever chosen a path other than SHIELD and started a family, I would have wanted a daughter, and I would have wanted her to be like you.”

There was a sniffle, and Skye sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Come on, AC. You’re making me cry.”

Both of them laughed. Phil turned to the open door and got out of the car. Skye followed behind him.

“I think I better go find Fitz, tell him sorry for crying on him,” Skye mumbled, looking over at the lab where the engineer was working. Phil struggled to keep the smile off his face, remembering how Hill had once told him that he looked that way around Melinda. She still did tell him that too.

* * *

 

Jemma was, in a word, upset.

            When they had touched down in Nanjing, she and Grant had decided to explore the city after the mission. Both of them had a similar interest in getting to see cities beyond SHIELD. Grant had been to multiple places around the world thanks to his missions before joining the team, but had never really had the time for sight-seeing. Jemma, on the other hand, hadn’t been to as many places as he had, and was eager to see everything the world had to offer.

            However, those plans were now laid off to the side since Grant had managed to get himself shot on the mission. When he’d shouted out in pain over the comms, Jemma had tried hard to freak out, but she still panicked a lot to Skye and Fitz, babbling over whether or not he was okay. In the end, she was relieved to learn that he was okay, but had to be taken off active duty for three weeks.

“Excuse me, Dr. Simmons?” A nurse from the SHIELD medical wing was standing in front of her. “You’re waiting for Agent Grant Ward?”

“Me? Oh yes!” Jemma stood up and smiled at the nurse. “Erm, where is he?”

“We’ll be releasing him back to you,” the nurse chuckled a little and scratched the back of his head. “I should warn you though, he’s a little loopy from the pain medication we gave him for his shoulder. Needless to say, I’ve got a lot of respect for the guy. I mean, get shot three times and still finish the mission. Kind of stupid, but really brave too.”

“Where is he exactly?” Jemma said, feeling a little relieved Skye was not with her. The hacker would probably be filming Grant and use the video later for teasing him.

The nurse walked her to a room at the end of the hall, and Jemma murmured a quick thanks as she entered. Inside, Grant was in a wheelchair, his right arm in a sling. He was staring at a tongue depressor at the end of the counter with big eyes. She doubted he even noticed her presence, and turned back to the nurse. “Can I take him now?”

“Just sign out at the desk, show your ID, and they’ll do the rest.”

“Thank you. Again.” Jemma walked behind Grant and placed her hands on the handles.

“No problem,” the nurse replied as he walked off to go attend to someone else.

Grant suddenly turned to her and put a finger to his lips. “Shhhhh.”

“Grant?” Jemma frowned. “What is it?”

“The bunny is looking at me funny,” he mumbled, pointing to the tongue depressor. “I don’t like it. It doesn’t trust me. You can trust me, bunny.”

Jemma stifled a giggle. “How about we take you back to the Bus?”

Grant didn’t respond, but kept eying the tongue depressor. She took that as a yes, and began to wheel him down the hall to the desk to check him out.

“Agent Simmons,” the agent at the front desk looked from her ID to her face and nodded. “Agent Ward.”

“Oh, that’s me.”

“Yes, she knows that’s you,” Jemma told him as she took back their IDs. “I’m going to take you to the elevator now. How do you feel?”

Grant looked at the button she had just pushed to call the elevator and back at her, grinning broadly. “Sunshine and rainbows!”

Jemma couldn’t stop herself from letting out a giggle this time. She was _really_ glad Skye wasn’t here. “So good, then.”

“Yeahhhh.” His smile was still plastered on as she wheeled him inside. It was downright goofy when he looked up at her. “You’re- you’re gorgeous.”

Her cheeks flamed red. “Thank you.”

Grant shook his head. “No, I mean really gorgeous. Like a goddess.”

He really knew how to charm a girl. Jemma tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, unable to stop smiling as he gazed at her with a dopey grin.

“Are you my wife?”

“Oh,” Jemma gasped, her eyes widening. She hadn’t expected him to say that. Yes, it was a stupid fantasy future she had imagined once, on multiple occasions really, but that wasn’t the point. “Erm, no. Actually, I think I’m your girlfriend.”

“Are you sure?” Grant pointed to her, or to some spot on the ceiling. He was so loopy she honestly wasn’t sure anymore. “Because I really thought we were married. I should ask you to marry me.”

Jemma put a hand over her face, not entirely sure how to react. Thankfully, the elevator doors opened onto their level. Although he was still incredibly sweet right now, there was a logical part of herself continually giving reminders that he was on strong pain meds.

“I wanna tell you a secret,” Grant announced to her.

Jemma halted and pulled them off to the side. She came around and bent down in front of him. “Absolutely not! I can’t have you telling me SHIELD secrets that I’m not cleared to know!”

“Shhh, it’s not SHIELD,” Grant said, looking behind him. “It’s my secret.”

He put a finger to his lips. “Shhhhhh.”

“Okay, got it.” Jemma couldn’t believe this was her boyfriend right now. “Do you want to tell me it?”

“Okay,” he sighed, sounding exasperated. It was as though she had been wearing him down for an hour and not with a single question. “But you can’t tell Jemma.”

She frowned, but nodded anyway. If it was about her, she wanted to know. “Right.”

“I met her on the Bus,” Grant said in a loud whisper. “I caught her when she fell out-nooo she jumped out because she had a virus. But I finally asked her on a date when we were in Texas.”

He put a lot of emphasis on Texas and looked pleased of himself. Jemma smiled, and he continued. “But I think I love her. I think I really, really love her!”

Grant sounded so happy and proud. Jemma blushed and kissed him on the cheek, feeling a fluttery feeling inside her chest. “I bet she feels the same way.”

“Yeahhhh,” he nodded. “I hope so.”

Shaking her head, Jemma rose back up and started to push him again. “Let’s get you back to the Bus and into your bunk to rest. Does that sound good?”

“Mm-hmm.”

As they reached the hanger the Bus was in, Jemma remembered the little issue of the lack of a ramp to get up from the cargo bay to the main level. At least they still had a cot downstairs that she or Fitz had put in out of habit. It had come from lots of late night experiments at the Academy, and later SciOps. Perhaps that would be a good substitute until he was more coherent to walk up the stairs.

She parked the wheelchair in front of the lab doors, where Grant decided to have a staring contest with his reflection in the glass. Jemma tried to focus on setting up the cot for him while continuing to blush over what he had said. As soon as she got it all set up, she returned to Grant and wheeled him in before helping him onto the cot.

“Jemma?” he mumbled, smiling. He looked slightly less loopy than earlier, but not by much. At least the drugs were wearing off. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she replied, returning his smile. “How are you feeling?”

“M’kay,” he mumbled, turning his head to the side to look at her. “I missed you out there.”

“I missed you too,” Jemma put her hand over the one that wasn’t in a sling. “You need to be more careful in the field.”

“You need to be more careful in…in the lab.” His eyes were beginning to close. “Don’t wanna see you get hurt.”

Jemma ducked her head, shaking it slightly as she reddened even more.

“I’m going to go check on the others, tell them you’re back,” she told him, standing up. “You should get some rest.”

“No, wai’!” Grant was looking at her with big, puppy-dog eyes. “Can you stay until I fall asleep>”

She sat back down and nodded. “I can do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, loopy Grant. I wanted to do something cute for the Biospecialist fans!
> 
> Please leave a review!


	17. Under the Floorboards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Miles makes an interesting discovery during his investigation, and Leo attempts to tell Skye the truth.

Chapter 16: Under the Floorboards

_“I’m a believer, and I want to get others to see the light.”_ –August Booth/Pinocchio, Once Upon a Time

_Enchanted Forest_

_It took a while before the Huntsman was able to find the runaway princess. When he finally did, he discovered her sitting by a small little pond. Snow White was sitting on the ground, hunched over a piece of paper that she was writing something on. Both items must have been in that pouch she had, the one where she had kept the apples._

_She didn’t seem to notice his presence. It didn’t surprise him since years of hunting and living in the woods had given him stealth to sneak up on his prey. The princess was the same way. It wasn’t until he purposely stepped on a twig that her head shot up at the sound. Her expression turned calm._

_“I was wondering when you would find me,” she said, returning to writing her message on the paper. “And I want you to know that I understand why she’s doing this.”_

_“You’re referring to your stepmother?” The Huntsmen asked, raising his eyebrow._

_“She’s the only one I know who’s determined to kill me,” Snow White said with a shrug. “My stepmother’s been holding a grudge against me for a long time. As long as I’m alive, I pose a threat to her.”_

_The Huntsman studied her. She seemed to be so at peace with what was about to happen. It was becoming very unnerving._

_“Will you give this to her?” Snow White held out the piece of paper, now folded in half, to him. “I just want to let her know that I hope she’s happy with her choice.”_

_Nodding, he took the paper and unfolded it. It was just as the princess said. Snow White understood that Queen Victoria wanted the throne, and that she posed a competitive risk. As long as Snow White was alive, Victoria was going to have to compete with her for the love and affection of the kingdom’s subjects. Suddenly, the Huntsman realized what Victoria wanted. She wanted the princess out of the way for good. If the girl ever married and had a child, then that would pose a threat to Victoria’s claim on the throne. Despite his history, he understood family rivalries. He had seen it among the wolves. Humans were just a more open book with it._

_With a sigh, he turned his gaze back to the princess. Reaching to his side, he unsheathed his knife and held the blade in the air. Snow White took a deep breath and closed her eyes._

_Before he swung down at her, the Huntsman felt himself stop. He couldn’t do this, couldn’t hurt her. She was an innocent, one whose death the queen was bloodthirsty for._

_“Run,” he said, sheathing his knife._

_The princess opened her eyes and frowned. “What?”_

_“Run away from here,” he growled. “I will not take the life of an innocent. You need to hide, start a new life. If you want to survive, then that is what you have to do.”_

_Snow White nodded, jumping to her feet and turning to run. But the Huntsman reached out and grabbed her arm. The princess whipped her head back, a frightened expression on her face. Quick as he could, the Huntsman removed the knife where it hung at his side and pressed the hilt of it into her hands._

_“Take this,” he told her. “You will need it out there.”_

_She nodded again. “Thank you.”_

_With that, she took off running into the thick greenery, and out of his sight._

_The Huntsman sighed and pulled out the other knife he had brought. He wasn’t going back to the queen empty-handed, especially with the whispers he had heard about her in the taverns that he visited from time to time. The queen wanted a heart, so he would find her a heart._

* * *

 

            Miles’s investigation into his strange dreams had led to him breaking into Victoria’s apartment and giving it a strip search. The whole place was an utter mess now, but he had a good reason. Miles knew for sure she had been one of the people he had been seeing in his dreams. She had to be connected to it, along with the girl who looked like Skye.

            Before he had thought to break into Victoria’s apartment, Miles had done internet research on dreams, coming across all sorts of theories in the process. There were theories about dreams being about fears, hopes, and even past lives. That one was the most intriguing to him. Maybe past lives did exist. It would definitely explain why the dreams felt like memories. Perhaps there was something in Victoria’s apartment that was proving to be a trigger for the dreams, but one that had only come into effect recently.

Then he had found the box.

            The way he had found was embarrassing. Miles had been walking over to the bookcase, but ended up catching his foot on the rug and falling onto the ground. In the process, the rug had folded over by his foot as he hit the floor, and revealed a section of the wood flooring where all the boards ended sharply in a straight line. It was unnatural and suspicious to him, so he crawled forward and pulled back the rug further. Now he could see there were false floorboards.

            It took a few minutes for him to pry up enough to see a metal lockbox underneath. It needed a key, but an unbent paper clip could do the job for him just the same. As soon as he heard the tumblers clicked, Miles sighed in relief and opened it up. His features contorted into a frown when he found a pile of documents and ID cards. He picked one up and flipped it over.

            His eyebrows shot up as he saw his own face staring back at him. It was a driver’s license for him, except the date of issue on it read 1995. But in 1995, he hadn’t even been able to drive! The birthdate on it made him the same age in 1995 as he was right now. Miles didn’t understand why it was here, and why it felt like he had held it before.

            Setting it down, Miles started to riffle through the box, pulling out documents and licenses and photographs. All of them featured him in them in some way. The dates of birth were always the same month and day, but the years varied. He was always the same age as he was now in the dates that the documents were issued. It was like he wasn’t even aging, but he couldn’t even remember anything.

            Victoria was hiding things from him, big things. Somehow he wasn’t aging, and it didn’t make sense. What if he was someone SHIELD had found and they were wiping his memory so he wouldn’t know he was immortal or whatever? What was he even? How old was he really?

            Miles pulled out his phone, his hands shaking as he took pictures of the contents of the box. Once he had done this, he replaced the contents and put the floorboards back. Then he left the apartment as soon as he could, ran outside, and vomited in the nearest trash can.

* * *

 

“Can I tell you something strange?” Leo said, feeling a bit more confident than he normally was.

Skye shrugged and took another swig from her beer. Leo had gone out with her and Trip for drinks in Nanjing while Simmons was dealing with Ward. He’d gotten shot during the mission, and had been sent to the SHIELD base’s hospital. Simmons had volunteered to go pick him up, which made sense since they were…something. So that had left Leo with Skye and Trip to go out with, the latter who was currently getting along with some locals playing some game. Skye, on the other hand, had stuck with him. “Go ahead.”

“You know how you’ve been trying to find your parents?” he asked, raising his voice a little over the loudness of the bar.

“Yeah, what about them?”

“I’ve got a theory,” he confessed, hoping that this wouldn’t blow up in his face. “About you and your parents.”

Skye leaned forward, her eyes wide with curiosity. “Go on.”

Leo looked over his shoulder, confirming that Trip was still making good friends with the locals. Then he turned back and sighed.

“You’re not from here-”

“So you think I’m an alien?” Skye’s tone wasn’t angry, but it did have a touch of hostility to it.

“No, no, you’re not,” Leo assured her. “Well, you kind of are. We all are, really.”

“Wait, what?” Skye’s eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean, _we all are_?”

“Pretty much everyone who’s in SHIELD, plus a few outsiders too,” Leo explained. He was pretty sure of that there were people outside of SHIELD that were from the Enchanted Forest too, such as gifted or persons of interest that SHIELD monitored. His mother and father must have been too, unless the curse had placed him with another family. “We’ve been cursed here from somewhere else.”

“So you think I’m normal, but I’m just from another land, along with everyone else?” Skye rested back against her chair, looking at him cautiously.  “Where am I from then? Where’s everyone from?”

“The Enchanted Forest,” Leo told her, dead serious. “But none of us remember it, thanks to the curse. And some of us are characters from fairytales.”

“Yeah, right,” Skye muttered sarcastically. “Next thing you’ll be telling me that I’m Cinderella or Mulan’s kid, right?”

“Snow White and Prince Charming’s kid, actually,” he shrugged. “But they sent you away to this world before the Enchanted Forest was cursed. They put you inside an enchanted wardrobe so that after you turned twenty four, you could break it-”

“Stop!”

Skye stood up from the seat, her face angry. Leo closed his mouth. He’d gone too far, he could just tell by the look on her face.

“Look, I appreciate that you’re helping me with this, but don’t make jokes about this,” Skye spat, her fists balling up. “This isn’t a joke to me. My whole life has been about finding who I really am, who my parents are! Letting people in to help me with it is pretty rare. I thought that you were going to help me, and be serious about this-”

“I am!”

“So why are you giving me this bull!” Skye shouted back at him. “Look, I believe people can have all kinds of powers, even if SHIELD says they don’t exist! I believe that Asgard exists! I believe that there might be other aliens out there other than the ones that came streaming out of the sky in New York. But fairytales, no. I _don’t_ believe in fairytales.”

“But this is the truth,” Leo protested, raising his hands to try and calm her down. “I’m not lying to you, Skye. I thought I was crazy at first when I read it-”

“What did you read?”

Leo faltered. He shouldn’t have mentioned the book. Now things might take a turn for the worse if she asked more questions about it.

“Fitz, what did you read?” Skye repeated, sounding upset.

“Just some book I found!”

“Where did you find it?” she demanded.

Leo closed his eyes and sighed. He had really hoped she wasn’t going to ask that question. “In an old bookshop,” he lied. If he told her he’d found it in the desk in the wrecked Centipede base, then that would make everything worse. He hated lying to her about it though. “It was in the bargain bin, I was curious about it, and it looked good.”

“And somehow you think a book applies to my life?” Skye shook her head, staring at him in bafflement. “You think there’s just a bunch of fairytale characters running around SHIELD? Do you realize how crazy you sound right now?”

“Yes, but it’s real!” Leo reached out for her hand. “Skye, I’m telling the truth here. We’re all from another land, but we’ve been cursed and no one remembers except for one person.”

“Fitz, just stop!” Skye yelled, wrenching her hand away and turning away. “Stop playing games! Just…just stop it!”

“No, no, no this isn’t a game,” he pleaded, running around to face her again. “Believe me, it isn’t.”

“Why am I an 084 then?” Skye crossed her arms and tilted her head at him. “If we’re all from another world, then why am I an 084? Why not everyone else who’s come into SHIELD? Why haven’t you been called that?”

Leo opened his mouth, but stopped. He actually couldn’t think of an explanation for this one. Truth was, he had been wondering about it. Maybe it was something to do with the way she was transported here. It could be because she was the Savior, and that could also be why she survived the attack on her village.

“Yeah,” Skye nodded, and Leo saw her pressing her lips together as a tear leaked out of her eye. “That’s what I thought.”

She moved around him and made her way to the door of the bar. “I’m going back to the Bus.”

“No, wait a second.” Leo called out, trying to follow her. “Skye!”

He only made it a few steps before he ran into someone. They turned around, revealing to be a very angry looking woman. Leo muttered a quick, hasty apology before dodging her and scanning the room for Skye. But she was nowhere to be found. She must have left while he was distracted by the woman.

“Hey, Fitz!” Trip was at his side suddenly.

Leo jumped a little at the specialist’s previously unknown appearance. “God, Trip! Don’t…don’t sneak up on me like that, ‘kay?”

“Sorry,” his friend apologized. “Just a habit. But anyway, ready to go?”

Leo glanced sadly over at the exit. “Skye just did.”

“Any reason why?”

“I said something, and it wasn’t the right thing.”

“Ouch,” Trip grimaced. “Was it about her parents? She’s still a bit shaken up by that whole thing.”

“You could say that,” Leo sighed, thinking about how much he’d hurt the person he cared so much about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That went well, didn't it!
> 
> Please review and tell me your thoughts! Comments, criticisms, whatever's on your mind about this


	18. Dangerous Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Jemma share a moment, Phil and Melinda argue over how to go about the biochemist and specialist's new relationship, and Leo tries to talk to Skye about the previous night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo sorry that I haven't updated in forever. Life's been hectic, and I'm trying my best to find time to write. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it a little.

Chapter 17: Dangerous Love

_“I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”_ –Beauty and the Beast

            Grant’s entire body felt sluggish ad weary. With a small groan, he started to crack his eyes open as slow as possible. The light was harsh and made him flinch slightly, but he adjusted within moments. He realized from his surroundings that he was in the lab on the Bus. Exhaling, Grant tried to stretch his arms out, but he couldn’t move his right one. A quick look down showed that it was resting in a sling against his chest, and it all came back to him. He’d gotten shot on the mission, and had passed out a few minutes later. There was a point where he had awakened for a spell, but his memory of it was hazy.

“Grant?”

Jemma was walking over from around the Holotable toward him. Grant quirked his lips up into a smile as she came near.

“How are you feeling?” she inquired, sitting down in a chair that had been placed beside the cot Grant was currently on.

“Fine,” he shrugged. “Really, I am.”

“Well, that’s good, considering you did get shot,” Jemma remarked, her voice relieved. “Do you remember coming back here?”

            Her cheeks seemed a little pinker than normal. Grant panicked a little internally, wondering if he had done anything. Had they given him pain medication after he passed out? He always tried to avoid it when necessary, especially if it was the strong stuff. “Can I get a recap?”

“I volunteered to pick you up at the hospital,” Jemma explained, her eyes flickering down the floor quickly. “They’d gotten you patched up and they gave you some pain medication.”

He shut his eyes tightly, groaning to himself. “Did I do anything weird?”

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” she reassured him. “People do have a tendency to be a little more, erm….”

“Loopy?”

“I was looking for a better word, but I suppose loopy is accurate enough.”

He nodded slowly. “But did I do anything weird?”

Jemma pressed her lips together tightly, and Grant could tell she was trying not to laugh. “You thought a tongue depressor was a bunny, and you wanted it to trust you.”

Oh god. Grant closed his eyes and sighed. He was suddenly more relieved that Jemma had picked him up by herself.

“But you were very happy when I took you out of the hospital,” Jemma continued. “Although you did ask if we were married.”

That one made him grin a little. He didn’t even bother to hide it either.

“And also you said you think you loved me,” Jemma added quickly, a small smile fighting its way onto her face. “And I have to ask…was it the drugs, or do you actually feel that way?”

“I do,” Grant admitted.

She stared at him, and he sighed.

“I can’t explain it, but when I first saw you, I felt something for you. It was like I’d known you from somewhere. We might have met once a long time ago or something for all I know. But whenever I’m around you, I feel like I can be myself and not some stone-faced secret agent. At the Academy, they taught us how to compartmentalize, make sure that emotions didn’t get in the way of the mission. All my time with SHIELD, I’ve been okay doing that. But after I met you, I couldn’t do that anymore, and I don’t want to.”

Jemma leaned in, her lips brushing against his before she kissed him. Grant’s hand moved up to cup the side of her face as he deepened the kiss.

“Wow,” he uttered as they pulled apart a few moments later.

“Wow,” she echoed with a smile as radiant as the sun.

* * *

 

“We can’t let this go on.”

            Phil shifted his gaze away from the feed in the lab that he and Melinda were watching in his office to face her. For months, he’d observed the connection forming between the specialist and the biochemist. Over the past week or so, it had grown a lot stronger. Things appeared to have leveled up now after Ward had gotten shot. Simmons had spent the entire night down there with him, either working or sleeping.

            As happy as Phil was for the couple, he had his concerns. They were both good agents in their respective fields. The team functioned well with them. SHIELD, however, wasn’t the biggest supporter of relationships between agents, especially within teams that were in such close quarters. He himself could say from personal experience that such relationships within teams didn’t always work out.

“Phil.”

He blinked a few times as he came out of his thoughts. Melinda seemed to be waiting for him to give an answer for something. “Sorry, what?”

Melinda crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side. “I said we can’t let this go on.”

Phil shrugged. “I’m willing to.”

“It needs to be put to a stop.”

Closing the feed from the lab, Phil glared sharply at her. “Put to a stop?”

“That’s the only option I see in this scenario,” Melinda continued. “If these two continue their relationship, they risk being caught. The higher ups get wind of it and they will dissolve the team. It’s too much of a risk to let this go on.”

“I remember you used to be willing to take risks.” Phil didn’t mean to sound bitter, but it crept in.

She held his gaze, but her body stiffened slightly. He could tell he had struck a nerve. “That was a long time ago, Phil.”

“We were just like them, right up until Bahrain happened,” he fired back. “Which is why I’m willing to give them a chance. They aren’t doing harm to the rest of us, and I doubt we’ll need to soundproof the bunks quite yet.”

“This isn’t funny,” Melinda muttered lowly. “And you’re making a mistake. You need to tell them that this can’t go on.”

“Then they’ll want to know how we found out,” Phil reminded her. “If I see something like this happening again, I’ll talk to them, outline what they need to know. But for the meantime, we’ll let them be. Give them some time to figure out what they really are. Don’t approach them and try to take matters into your own hands.”

“Phil, this isn’t-”

“That’s a direct order,” he snapped angrily.

            Melinda had no reaction to his outburst. A beat passed, and she nodded curtly before leaving his office. He could only just hear the ‘yes, sir’ she muttered under her breath.

            Phil sighed and pulled the video feed from the lab back up. Simmons and Ward were exiting the frame, probably so the latter could get back to his bunk or for the former to check his injuries. He remembered how he and Melinda had been just like them when they were younger. Phil recollected waiting around the medical area once after Melinda had broken her leg, waiting for her to be discharged. That was only one of the many instances that he’s waited for her, and she had done the same thing for him in turn. Those had been happier days, when the two of them had been together.

            He’d even planned to propose to her, but Bahrain came along before he got the chance. Melinda walked into that building, and a different Melinda had emerged. She was closed off, distant, and seeing her that way had made his heart ache. He was still in love with her though, nothing would ever change that. Yet she pushed him away, and broke things off. She transitioned out of his life until she was barely present in it at all. Phil tried to move on too, but he never felt that he could fully move past what they had been.

            Dying, coming back to life, and reuniting with Melinda on the team had made him feel hope again. Phil couldn’t explain it, but there was something that made him feel like there was hope for them again. Every attempt he made to reconnect with her fell flat though. He knew things between them might never be the same ever again, but he was baffled by some of her actions.

Sometimes, especially now with Ward and Simmons, it felt as though Melinda was…heartless.

* * *

 

            The sound of footsteps on the metal staircase alerted Leo immediately, and he rushed out of the empty lab. Simmons and Ward had vacated the area an hour or so ago, so he’d taken to sitting down there to try and think of a way to make things right with Skye. He’d hurt her last night, which was the last thing he’d wanted to do. After what had happened with her finding the blanket in the village, he had been way to forward in telling her his theory. Now, it was time to clean up his mess.

To his relief, it was indeed Skye that was coming down the stairs. When she noticed him, a small smile formed at the corners of her mouth. “Hey.”

“Hey,” he nodded. “Doing okay?”

A crease formed in Skye’s brow as she frowned. “Yeah, of course. Why?”

“I, ah, thought you might still be upset after what happened last night,” Leo sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Why would I be upset about last night?”

            Now it was Leo’s turn to frown. He studied Skye carefully, confused as to why she was this relaxed. There was no sarcasm or malice in her voice. If anything, she seemed pretty sincere, almost too calm about the whole ordeal. Something was off, and it bothered him.

“Well, you were pretty upset with me in the bar,” he reminded her carefully, fully aware that he was treading on thin ice. “I mean, you stormed out of the place.”

“I don’t remember being upset,” Skye replied with a shake of her head. “We just had a drink and then I headed back early. That was it for the night.”

Leo tilted his head to the side. “So…you don’t remember my theory?”

“What theory? I don’t remember you mentioning a theory. Actually, you never said anything to me at all last night.” Skye raised her eyebrows. “Fitz, are you feeling okay?”

“Fine. I’m fine,” he answered, his mouth feeling quite dry. “Just…never mind.”

Skye nodded slowly. “Okay. Well, I’m just going to work out down here for a while. Ward might be on bedrest in Simmons’s orders, but that doesn’t apparently give me a break from training.”

“It’s fine, go right ahead. I’ll just be in the lab if you need anything. I mean, that’s nothing new, I’m always in there, but you…you already knew that.”

Skye chuckled a little and walked over toward the punching bag. Leo turned away from her and walked back into the lab, the doors sliding shut behind him. Once it was closed, he leaned up against the Holotable, trying to make sense of Skye’s memory loss. While it was good that she wasn’t furious with him anymore, but now she had no knowledge of what he had told her. This meant that he would have to do it all over again.

Had the Evil Queen been involved? She would be the most probable source of Skye’s memory loss. Maybe she had been in the bar and slipped something into Skye’s drink so she wouldn’t remember him telling her the truth. After all, she did want the curse to stay in place. If there was anyone to blame for it, then Leo bet it was likely her…

* * *

 

_Previous night_

_“What’s wrong, dear?”_

_Skye turned toward the woman with the brimmed hat waiting on the bench next to her at the bus stop. No one else was around them, which was fine with her. She was still angry at Fitz and his crackpot theory that he claimed everyone was involved with. It hurt her to even think over it. She’d trusted him with such an important piece of information about her life, and he had spun it into a big joke._

_“What’s it to you?” she mumbled grouchily, slouching down slightly on the bench._

_“Just concerned about you,” the woman continued, her ice blue painted nails tapping the side of her handbag. “You seem upset.”_

_“I trusted my friend with a secret, and now he’s come up with a theory where everyone I know is a fairytale character because apparently it’s all a big joke to him.”_

_“Fairytale characters?” The woman’s voice was cautious. “Why would he say a thing like that?”_

_“I don’t know!” Skye grumbled, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. “Something about a book, but I don’t care. The point is he took advantage of my trust and decided to hurt me with it.”_

_“I’m sure that this friend had a better reason than that, Skye.”_

_“A better reason? Like wh-?” Skye paused, eying the woman with fear. “Wait, how do you even know my name?”_

_The woman chuckled and turned toward her, revealing a very familiar face. “Because you used to live with me.”_

_Skye bolted off the bench. “Ms. Cole?!”_

_Ms. Cole smiled and stood up to face her. Skye hadn’t seen the woman since she was eleven. For a while, Ms. Cole had been nice and wonderful, and was even in the process of adopting her. Then one day, while they were waiting for a bus, Ms. Cole pulled the two of them out into the way of an oncoming car and insisted that Skye could stop it. Skye had dove to the side in time, and had called Ms. Cole crazy. The foster parent had then argued that she had powers, which Skye responded to by calling her crazy and running away to the nearest police station. She’s told the cops everything, but there was never a trace of a Ms. Cole existing when they investigated._

_“You…you crazy bitch!” Skye snarled, backing away. “The cops said you never existed! How the hell are you even here? Are you stalking me?”_

_“I went…off the radar after our parting,” Ms. Cole’s voice was too calm for Skye’s liking. “I do say it’s lovely to see you, Skye. You’ve grown up so much.”_

_“Stay back or I’ll hurt you.”_

_“Dear, in a moment you won’t even remember what you’re doing here,” Ms. Cole laughed lightly, pulling a strange purple stone out of her pocket. “I’m sorry for this, but I do owe Victoria a favor. She caught wind that you’ve heard the truth, and she doesn’t want you to believe it. So she called me in, asked me to use some magic from my homeland.”_

_“Magic?” Skye gaped at her. “You’re even nuttier than when I left you! What’s a rock going to even do to me?!”_

_“This,” Ms. Cole whispered as a strand of purple mist arced toward Skye. “In a few moments, you’ll have no memory of what your friend told you, or myself for that matter.”_

_Skye felt her eyes close._

_When she opened them, the bus was pulling up to the station. She looked around, feeling a bit confused. It seemed like there was someone waiting with her a moment ago, but it must have just been her imagination. Shrugging, she climbed aboard the bus and sank into a seat to wait out the ride until she got close enough to the SHIELD base._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now Leo has to start from scratch if he wants to tell Skye. He's going to have to do that in a different way now if he wants to get the truth across to her.
> 
> Next chapter is going to have a time jump, and there will something that's a bit big happening soon. Then I can do Bahrain, which I'm so excited for! I love the twist I'm incorporating into this!
> 
> Please read and review! Is anyone happy about the Biospecialist kiss?


	19. Wolves and Sheep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Enchanted Forest past, the Huntsman returns to the queen, while Miles discovers who he really is in the Land without Magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello fangirls and fanboys from around. I apologize for taking forever to get a new chapter up. Time constraints and writer's block suck. Although I hope to have the next chapter written out quickly and put up soon, because I'd really love to end this year with it.
> 
> Anyway, you get flashbacks and real time in this. No Leo or any other Bus people though. But you do get to see something interesting happened that diverts from Once Upon a Time a touch.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 18: Wolves and Sheep

_“You think you could fool me with the heart of a stag!”_ – The Evil Queen, Once Upon a Time

_Enchanted Forest_

_Victoria heard the clanking armor of the guards before they even entered her chamber. She rose from the chair in front of her vanity and turned around to greet the arrivals. As the two guards entered, she was pleased to see that the Huntsman she had dispatched to kill Snow White was with them. Even better, he held a box in his hands, the same one she had given him for the princess’s heart._

_Well, the late princess._

_“I see you’re still in mourning,” the Huntsman remarked as Victoria approached him._

_“That ended a while ago. Black is simply a much better color for me.”_

_As if she would have ever shed a tear for the old king. Of course, she’s needed to put on a show for the kingdom and her step-daughter for appearance’s sake. It would look suspicious if she didn’t seem upset by her husband’s death._

_“Leave us,” Victoria ordered the two guards. “I will need to converse privately with my huntsman.”_

_“Yes, your Majesty.”_

_Once they were gone, Victoria smiled at the Huntsman. “Is it done?”_

_The Huntsman nodded slowly and held out forth the tiny chest. “Her heart, as you have requested.”_

_Her smile grew wider and wicked. Finally the girl was dead. The kingdom was hers. “Did she try to run?”_

_“She did, but I caught up to her,” the Huntsman said, digging into his pouch and producing a folded piece of paper. “Before I cut out her heart, she asked me to give you this.”_

_Victoria’s eyes narrowed, and she snatched it from his hands. Unfolding it, she turned away from the Huntsman and scanned through it to see what the brat had to say. The entire message turned out to be some pathetic spiel of how Snow White understood why Victoria was doing this to her, and how she hoped she would be happy with the decision she had made. It was utterly sickening for her to even read a few sentences of the letter. But Snow White was dead, so it meant her little flowery speeches were also dead._

_“Did she really deserve to die?”_

_Her fist crumpled the letter up at the Huntsman’s question. Victoria ripped apart the letter and threw it into the fireplace, watching it become engulfed in the blaze before whirling back toward the Huntsman. His expression was mournful, as though he regretted having killed the princess._

_“Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft!” Victoria snarled. “Of course she deserved to die!”_

_There was no change in his expression, even with her tone. “What did she ever do to you to deserve this?”_

_Victoria gazed back at the flames lapping the curled black scraps of paper. “She existed. She was in my way, and I needed her gone.”_

_Snatching up the chest with Snow White’s heart, Victoria waved her hand at the doors to her left. They swung open with a bang, revealing her vault of hearts. Dozens of boxes lined the walls, many of them glowing and pulsing with red light for every heartbeat. She’d long stopped caring about who the owners were. All she remembered were that they were people who had gotten in her way or had wronged her._

_Pulling out an empty box, Victoria opened the chest the Huntsman had given to her. She withdrew the heart, smiling victoriously. Tossing aside the box, she prepared to put it in the box she had just chosen, but paused. Lifting it closer, she realized something was wrong with this heart. Victoria frowned and examined it. Anger set in when she realized she was not holding the heart of a human, but one of a dear instead. Her huntsman had been trying to trick her._

_“YOU!” she screeched at him, using her magic to drag him into the vault. “This isn’t her heart! It’s not even a human heart! You think I am so stupid that I will accept a deer heart? Did you even kill her?!”_

_The fool tried to run, but Victoria flicked her wrist and slammed the vault doors shut. Trapped like an animal, the Huntsman whirled back around. “That girl is innocent. She doesn’t deserve to die for you to have power!”_

_“That is not your decision to make,” Victoria spat, drawing closer to him. “You failed to give me that wretched girl’s heart.”_

_“And I’d do it again. I don’t regret what I did. If you’re going to kill me, then get on with it.”_

_“I’m not going to kill you,” Victoria laughed. “But I wanted a heart.”_

_She plunged her hand into his chest. “And a heart I shall have.”_

_Yanking her hand from his chest, Victoria felt satisfaction at the horrified expression on the Huntsman’s face. His heart was pulsing strongly in her hand. With a nasty grin, she squeezed a little, and the man fell onto his knees with a strangled gasp._

_“Your life is now in my hands forever,” she taunted as she relaxed her grip on the Huntsman’s heart. “I control you, and you do as I say. And if you ever disobey me, then all I have to do is squeeze.”_

\-----------------

            Miles staggered away from the urn, clutching his head. It was all coming back to him now. He knew who he was now, why he wasn’t aging, why he had stayed with Victoria. It all made sense now to him.

            The curse was weakening. That meant that someone believed in it. Miles doubted that it had been Skye. Sure, she believed in all kinds of stuff, but fairytales were not among them. For him though, he now knew the fairytales here were more than just stories. They were history of the land that he had come from, where so many people had come from when the Evil Queen- no, when Victoria had cursed them.

And Skye…she was the Savior! The one destined to break the queen’s curse.

            Another memory hit him suddenly and he sank to his knees as it assaulted him with images. He had been standing in a room with a few other people. Victoria stood in front of a woman who had been tied to a chair. The woman he knew as the Evil Queen smiled cruelly and thrust her hand into the other woman’s chest, eliciting a scream from her. She pulled her hand out, holding the woman’s heart while the now heartless woman screamed and looked around wildly.

He knew the bound woman’s face. Miles knew it from his other life. She’s grown older than their last meeting when he’s let her go, but it was still her. There was a different name that she went by now, along with false memories, but it was still Snow White.

Oh God. Skye needed to know what Victoria had done to her mother.

            Miles ran out of the room and up the stairs of Victoria’s vault. He had to find a way to contact Skye or talk to her face to face so he could tell her the truth. She probably wouldn’t believe him, but he had to try and convince her it was the truth. There had to be a way to get her to believe. She needed to, or the curse would never be broken.

            He finished climbing the stairs and stumbled out into the yard in front of the farmhouse. During his investigation he’d started after he’s kissed Skye at the Yellow Bug three months ago, Miles had put a covert tracking program in Victoria’s cell phone. She’d been shown to frequent this location in the US too often to be coincidental. He’d managed to pinpoint the spot with GPS to discover it as a large farmhouse. Specifically, it was a farmhouse that had an outdoor cellar that doubled as a storm shelter.

The perfect place to hide something. Something that could explain why he wasn’t aging.

            But after he’d broken into the shelter, Miles had discovered something horrific. A whole wall filled with over a hundred boxes, each of them glowing through a little hole on the front of the box in a pattern almost like a heartbeat. There had been an odd feeling of familiarity to the scene, but he hadn’t remembered at the time.

            On the opposite wall of the boxes had been a bunch of cubbies built into the wall. One of them contained a bronze urn. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, and Miles had decided to examine it in hopes that it could be able to help him in some way. He had turned out to be half right in the end. The moment his fingers had touched the cool metal surface, he had remembered everything of his other life in the Enchanted Forest, along with the memories of all the other years he had lived here and even ones that Victoria had suppressed in the Enchanted Forest and in this land without magic.

            Miles looked back at the shelter, remembering his heart was still in there. He could go back and try to find it, but he didn’t know which one was his. And there was no way he could steal someone else’s heart. It was just wrong, and another’s person’s heart could have a detrimental effect on him. He could go back, and try to find it.

“Going somewhere?”

            Miles whirled around to see three men approaching him. All wore combat gear. SHIELD agents was his best guess, and probably ones that were working for Victoria. She must have noticed that he was suspicious of her somehow and put a tail on him to stop him.

“We have orders from Agent Hand to bring you in,” one of them sneered. “You can come with us quietly, or we can make you come.”

            He narrowed his eyes at the three. Before tonight, he would have probably complied easily with these men, like a sheep in a pasture. But things were different now. Miles now remembered who he was. He was the Huntsman. The man whose family was the wolves. The one who cried over his kills because of the sacrifice the animal had made so he and his wolf could live. No one owned him, not even if they were in possession of his heart.

From his side, Miles pulled out the hunting knife he had brought with him for his mission. “Then come and make me.”

The time of being a sheep was over. It was time to be a wolf once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there you have it. Miles knows who he is. Now will he be able to get through Victoria's croonies and find Skye to tell her the truth?
> 
> Please leave a review and tell me what you think


	20. The Huntsman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that he knows the truth, Miles hurries to get to Skye and tell her the truth.
> 
> But will he reach her in time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doot doot! Last chapter of 2015 for this story, but hopefully I can get more in for 2016! Thank you to everyone who had reviewed and favorited and followed OUAS this year!
> 
> I hope all of you enjoy this chapter (and it's Biospecialist mentions). WARNING: Character death!

Chapter 19: The Huntsman

_“I remember…thank you.” – Graham Humbert/the Huntsman, Once Upon a Time_

            Miles pressed his foot on the gas pedal of the car. He still couldn’t believe that he had managed to get away from those agents. When they had come at him, it had been like muscle memory. He had known exactly what to do with his knife, and how to use it in a fight. His one regret was killing those men now though, although he hadn’t had much of a choice. It was fight-or-die circumstances.

            As the car zoomed passed another mile marker, Miles cast a glance over at his laptop to make sure he was headed in the right direction. After he had dealt with Victoria’s cronies, he had hacked into SHIELD and tracked down the plane assigned to the team that Skye belonged to. Thankfully, it was not in the air and he could reach it within two hours. As soon as he arrived, he would have to find Skye and tell her the truth. He would tell her even if it killed him.

            In all honesty though, he was a dead man walking. Victoria already probably knew that he knew. Once she found out he’d gotten away and killed her men, she wouldn’t hesitate to crush his heart. He was too much of a threat to her now to be kept around.

Right now, he could only hope that she wouldn’t find out about this within the next two hours.

* * *

 

            Victoria stood by the dead bodies of the agents she had dispatched to grab Miles. Her expectation was that it was going to go smoothly, and she would wipe his memory of ever going on his silly little investigation. Unfortunately, the current state of affairs had proved this was not the case. She should have figured something was off when she didn’t hear anything in the past two hours since the call she had gotten when her agents first arrived on the scene.

If only she’d found that tracker on her phone sooner, then this could have been entirely avoided.

            Odds were that Miles remembered he was the Huntsman now. There was no way he could have done this damage being his cursed self. Now he was probably going to find the Savior, and had hacked into SHIELD to find her. The curse had gifted him with an unfortunately impressive set of hacking abilities, which was coming back to bite her. Although she had to admit, it was curious how his superb tracking skills manifested in this form. Shame they would have to go to waste now.

Stepping over a dead body, Victoria made her way toward the cellar and into her vault.

* * *

 

            Leo’s head slipped off of his hand, startling him out of his daydream. Heaving a sigh, his gaze returned to the pair of spectacles that he was attempting to modify. He wanted to make something similar to what Ward had used while pretending to be Amador, but yet somehow better. He was going through a list of ideas and trying to figure out ways they could work. It was a lot easier than trying to convince Skye of the curse’s existence.

            When Skye had forgotten about the night he had told her about the curse three months ago, Leo had been thinking a lot about what to do for the second time. He had a feeling that he had overwhelmed her the last time. Also, it hadn’t been the smartest move to tell her that night with her finding her baby blanket in the village not too long beforehand. So he had attempted a gentler approach a month and a half ago, suggesting a hypothetical scenario to her. Skye had started to question if he was really talking in hypothetical terms though.

“If we’re all people from another land, then why am I an 084?” she had questioned him.

A month and a half later, he still had no way to explain it.

            The book that had started it all was with him now. Sometimes, when Simmons wasn’t around (probably off snogging Ward really, given that time he had walked into the kitchen), Leo would pull out the book and re-read some of it to see if he could pick up things he had missed on the first time around. He would also brainstorm of ways to get Skye to believe for real. Nothing that he thought of was ever any good though, and the few times that he had tried an idea ended in failure. Trying to get her to read the book had been his best idea, but Skye had refused. Fairytales ‘just weren’t her thing’ she had told him.

            Sliding the book over toward himself, Leo began to flick through the pages to find Snow White and Prince Charming’s story, which was his personal favorite. Just as he was about to start reading, a sudden noise diverted his attention. Leo snapped his head up to see the cargo bay doors beginning to open. Everyone who was supposed to be on the Bus was indeed on the Bus, and were probably sleeping or having quiet hours. There was absolutely no reason for those doors to be opening, unless someone had found a way to lower them and was attempting to break in.

            Sliding open the drawer beside him, Leo pulled out an ICER. Renaming and modifying the Night-Night Gun had been long overdue and pleased everyone, although he was personally nostalgic for the old name. Still, they did their job, which was all he needed right now. He slipped out of the lab and squatted in front of Lola, hiding him from the intruder. As soon as he heard the footsteps draw close, he jumped to his feet, holding the ICER up. “Stop!”

In front of him, Miles froze and held his hands up in front of him. The other man’s appearance immediately caught Leo’s attention. Blood stained his shirt, jeans, and hands. Some of it was speckled on his face.

“What the hell happened to you?” Leo demanded, taking in the man. “What did you do?”

“You,” Miles breathed, ignoring the questions Leo had asked him. “You were the one asking about Skye and her past a few months ago.”

“Yeah, that was me,” Leo nodded. “Did you find something? And please tell me you didn’t kill anyone to find it out.”

“You’re not working with her, are you?” Miles babbled. “Victoria? Because you shouldn’t trust her, she’s the Evil Queen.”

“You don’t mean Victoria Hand…” Leo asked, trailing off as Miles nodded. “ _Her?!_ She’s the Evil Queen?!”

“Yes, yes,” the other man panted. “Look, I’m going to sound crazy, but almost everyone in SHIELD-”

“-is from the Enchanted Forest,” Leo finished, nodding. “I know.”

“How?”

Leo ran back to the lab and returned with the book. “Found this in a Centipede base. When I touched it, I got a whole bunch of flashes of memories. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to show me that a lot of people here are living under a curse.”

“I’m one of them,” Miles explained. “In the Enchanted Forest, I was a Huntsman. The Evil Queen, she hired me a long time ago to kill Snow White. But I didn’t.”

“And she took your heart instead,” Leo said, remembering the story. Suddenly, the illustration of the Huntsman he had seen when he read the story bore an unmistakable resemblance to Miles Lyndon. “You’re that Huntsman?”

“Yes!”

“How do you remember? No one except F…someone else can remember.”

“I touched an urn in the Queen’s vault like two hours ago, and it all came back to me! Look, I need to talk to Skye! Her parents, Prince Charming and Snow White, are out there in SHIELD.”

“They’re actually here on the plane, but I haven’t told her that yet.”

“I need to talk to Skye, and tell her about the curse,” Miles repeated. “She has to know she’s the Savior. She has to know about this. And her mother, she needs to know what happened to her mother.”

“Wait, what?” Leo shook his head. “What happened to Snow White?”

“On Earth, the Queen, she took Snow’s heart out of her chest,” Miles explained. “Snow White does not have a heart right now!”

“Snow White doesn’t have a heart?!” Suddenly May’s behavior made so much more sense.

“Just get Skye!” Miles grabbed him by the shoulders. “Get her now!”

Leo nodded and sprinted up the step of the staircase. As he ran down the hall to Skye’s room, he couldn’t help but feel a little hope that maybe both he and Miles could finally convince Skye to believe in the curse.

“Skye!” he exclaimed, pounding on her door. “Skye, get up?”

The door slid open, revealing a grumpy-looking Skye. “What?”

“You, me, downstairs now!” he said, grabbing her hand and dragging her along. She stumbled a little and grumbled protests under her breath.

“Honestly, Fitz, what in the he-” Skye demanded, halting on the last step when she saw Miles. “What is he doing here? And is that blood?”

“I had to fight my way to get out after getting out of the vault,” Miles explained. “They were trying to force me somewhere.”

Skye gaped and turned back to Leo. “Again, what is he doing here?”

“He’s got something to tell you,” Leo told her, nodding at Miles to go ahead.

“Skye, you have to listen to me,” pleaded Miles. “I have to tell you something important, and I don’t have much time.”

“Until they haul your ass into a SHIELD prison? You betcha,” she snapped in reply.

“Skye, please, I know I’ve done some horrible things to you,” Miles said. “And I’m sorry. I am so sorry. But right now, you need to know something. I know it’s going to sound crazy, but it’s true. Fairytales are real.”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Skye sighed, turning to look at Leo. “Fitz, did you put him up to this?”

“No!”

“Whatever he’s told you, it’s the truth,” Miles protested. “You have to believe, Skye. You’re the only hope. And your mother, you-”

Miles stopped suddenly, going completely rigid.

“What about my mother?” Skye demanded.

“Miles, what’s wrong?” Leo asked. An overwhelming sense of dread was creeping up on him.

“She found me,” Miles whispered.

“Who found you?” Skye asked. “Miles, what’s going on? You scaring me now.”

            He cast a look in her direction before shouting in pain. His hand went to his chest, clutching the spot where his heart was. Leo watched in horror as the man sunk to his knees. Miles was screaming now, his face screwed up in agony.

“Oh my god,” Skye gasped. “I’m getting Simmons.”

She dashed up the staircase, leaving Leo behind with Miles. He stared at the hacker, who had lifted his head to face him.

“Get her…to break it,” Miles grunted out.

“How?”

Miles opened his mouth to say more, but collapsed forward.

            Someone screamed above him, and Leo looked upward to see Skye clamoring down the stairs with Simmons (who appeared to be wearing one of Grant’s shirts paired with her pajama pants) and Coulson right behind her. Leo held Skye back as Simmons found out he wasn’t breathing and started CPR.

_“C’mon, Miles,”_ Leo thought to himself as he watched Simmons try to get him to breathe. _“Please don’t be dead.”_

His heart sank as Simmons stopped and took her hands off of him, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, he’s gone.”

            Skye choked a sob beside him, leaning her head against his chest. Leo put his arms around her, and Skye clung to him, crying. Ward was now entering the scene, looking between Miles’s bloodstained body, Skye, and Jemma. Jemma simply put a hand on his arm, looking numb. Leo felt the same way as he glanced down at the still body of the Huntsman, the man who spared Snow White.

            When the body would be sent to a lab, the cause of death would be reported to be mundane, Leo already knew this. He also knew that the death was no accident. It had been the Evil Queen, although now he knew who she really was.

* * *

 

Inside her vault, Victoria brushed the dust of the Huntsman’s heart from her hand.

Crisis avoided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we are. One dead character. Although if you've seen the show, this death probably doesn't come as a surprise.
> 
> This is all for 2015, and hopefully I can get the curse broken by the end of next year! That'll be great, right?
> 
> Please leave a review, tell me what you think!


	21. Graveyard Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grant and Jemma talk, there's a funeral for Miles, and Leo figures out what to do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back! Sorry it took so long for this chapter to come up, but it's here now! There's some nice Biospecialist, and a dash of Skitz in it.

Chapter 20: Graveyard Meeting

_“You don’t play with the curse. Look what happened to Graham.”_ –Henry, Once upon a Time

            For the twelfth time since she’d gotten it, Jemma studied the autopsy report on Miles. The cause of death was listed as natural causes. There were no prior medical conditions he had whatsoever. He’d just died, simple as that. Nothing could have been done for him.

            She wished there was something she could have done for Miles. Miles had never been her favorite person, but he was still a person. She helped people, it was a part of her job. And Jemma knew she couldn’t always save everyone, but somehow she felt terrible for not saving him.

            A hand came to rest on top of hers. Jemma looked up to see Grant standing beside her. His face was gentle and sympathetic. She leaned against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. IN response, his arms wrapped around her, holding her close.

“I couldn’t save him,” she whispered into his shirt.

“You did what you could.”

“I should have done more.”

She felt Grant’s hands slip down and settle onto her arms, pulling her back a little. Jemma looked straight into his eyes and rested her hands on his forearms.

“Did you do everything you could?” he asked softly.

Jemma nodded. “Yes.”

“Then why are you feeling guilty. And please don’t lie, Jemma.”

“Well, you’d know anyway if I tried,” she remarked dryly, attempting a smile that came out weaker than she had hoped.

Grant tilted her head to the side. “Jemma, you can tell me anything.”

She sighed, her shoulders sagging. “The night after Miles died, I had a dream, although a nightmare might be a more appropriate description. But in it, Miles wasn’t on the floor. It was you, and I couldn’t save you.”

Her boyfriend brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Jemma, it was only a dream.”

“I know it was. But what if one day you come in, and I can’t save you?” Jemma looked away from him and tried to focus on something else in the room so she wouldn’t have to look at Grant. “I don’t want to lose you.”

There was a long pause. She started to think that she’d said too much until Grant sighed.

“Do you remember when you jumped off of the Bus?” he asked, and she nodded. “I thought I was going to lose you that day. And the worst part was, it almost happened. Coming that close to seeing you slip away made me realize that I didn’t want to lose you. I know I can’t promise I won’t get hurt. But no matter what happens, I will always come back to you and be your favorite terrible patient.”

Jemma turned back to him and laughed. “You are pretty terrible at listening to my instructions. But you better come back or I’ll be furious.”

Grant smiled and kissed her. “I promise I will always come back to you.”

* * *

 

            Miles’s funeral was held in Austin a few days after his death. The whole team attended, including Trip, even though he never really knew Miles. He was sitting on the other side of Skye, who was staring straight ahead in silence with red-rimmed eyes. Leo remembered hearing her crying next door to his bunk earlier while he was getting ready. He wasn’t going to mention it to her though.

            May, Coulson, Simmons, Ward, and Trip had left to go back to the Bus after the service, but Skye had requested to stay a little longer. Leo had stayed behind too so she wasn’t entirely alone, and also to say goodbye to the Huntsman on his own. Skye had clasped his hand as they made their way back to Miles’s grave. They’d stood in front of the fresh soil and gravestone in silence, their goodbyes unspoken.

“He was a jerk sometimes,” Skye muttered, resting her head on his shoulder. “Maybe more than sometimes, but he had his good moments too.”

_“You owe him your life in a way,”_ Leo thought as he remembered how the Huntsman had spared Snow White. If he had killed Snow like he was supposed to, then Skye would never have been born. _“He’s a hero.”_

“He shouldn’t have died so soon,” whispered Skye. “I don’t care how mad he made me, or that he betrayed me, or all that nonsense he was spouting before he died. He deserved more out of life than this.”

Leo nodded as Skye took a deep breath and knelt down beside the grave. She brushed her hand over the words carved into the stone.

“Goodbye, Miles,” he heard her murmur before she stood back up.

“Ready to go?”

Skye nodded. “Yeah, let’s head back.”

Leo turned around, accidentally bumping into a man dressed in a black suit and a fedora pulled down low. “Sorry, sir.”

            The man didn’t respond. He kept on walking, probably on his way to the grave of someone he knew. Skye shook her head at the rudeness and shrugged before resuming the walk back to the church where the service had been held. Leo reached into his pocket to take out his phone to call the team and tell them they were on their way back, but it was gone. He searched all his pockets, but his phone was in none of them.

“What’s wrong?” Skye asked, frowning.

“My phone’s gone,” Leo sighed, dropping his arms. “I might have dropped it back in the graveyard. I’ll be right back, just going to go look for it.”

“I can give it a call,” Skye suggested. “It’ll be easier to find then.”

            Leo nodded and jogged back the way that they’d come. He scanned the ground carefully as he went, trying to see if it was anywhere. Maybe he’d lost it when the man bumped into him. Yes, that was probably it. That explained everything.

“Looking for this?”

Leo whirled around to see the man with the fedora leaning against a tree, holding Leo’s phone. The man lifted his head, revealing a familiar face.

“Director Fury,” Leo nodded, walking over. “Or should I say Dark One?”

“Not in this world until the curse is broken,” Fury said, handing the phone over.

Leo shrugged. “Fair enough.”

The two men were silent until Fury sighed and looked over at Miles’s grave. “I heard what happened.”

“He was from the Enchanted Forest,” Leo explained. “Back there, Miles was the Huntsman. The one who let Snow White go instead of killing her. The Evil Queen took his heart for disobeying.”

“That explains his death. If she had control over his heart, she could have easily crushed it to kill him.”

“Makes sense,” Leo muttered, trying not to not to think of how much pain Miles must have been in.

“Yes, but why now?” Fury continued, a darker tone creeping into his voice now. “What drove the Queen to strike now of all times?”

So he wasn’t buying the official report that had been issued for Miles’s death. Leo had a feeling that he probably knew that he had played a role in Miles’s final moments.

“He was remembering,” Leo told him. “A few months ago, Skye told me that Miles kissed her while we were in Austin to drop off some evidence we’d found with Centipede. I think it might have weakened the curse somehow, because that’s the only explanation I have for why he was in the Queen’s vault. But he touched something in there and remembered. He came back to the Bus to tell Skye about her mother.”

“What about Snow White?”

“Apparently she doesn’t have her heart. The Queen took it.”

“Did he tell you who the Queen was?”

There was an eager tone in Fury’s voice. Leo frowned at this. “You mean that you don’t know who the Evil Queen is?”

Fury shook his head. “She erased herself from my memory. I know who is she is, I know what she’s done, but I can’t remember her face. But you know, don’t you?”

“I do. She’s in SHIELD.”

“So who is she?”

Leo debated internally with himself on telling the Director about Hand. He’d read about Fury’s exploits as the Dark One, and knew he was untrustworthy with a tendency to look out only for himself. At the same time, he was also the closest thing Leo had to an ally now that Miles was dead.

“Agent Victoria Hand,” he admitted finally. “She’s the Evil Queen.”

“So how are you going to proceed from here?” Fury asked. “You have a bit of an upper hand, assuming that she doesn’t know about you. The question is, how will you use it?”

            That was easy. Ever since Miles had come and told him about Snow White, he had known. It wasn’t going to be an easy task, but he needed to do it. More importantly, he had to be careful doing it. Leo had learned that it wasn’t a game anymore with the curse. Lives really were at stake. You didn’t play with the curse. People got hurt.

“What is your plan, Leopold Fitz?”

Leo looked up to face the man. “I’m going to get Snow White’s heart back.”

“That won’t be easy.”

“And I’m aware of that. But as long as Hand has her heart, Snow White- Agent May could die like Miles.”

“Then I wish you the best of luck,” Fury said with a nod as he turned and began to walk away.

Leo raised his eyebrows. “So you aren’t going to be helping me then.”

Fury stopped and turned around. “You’re smart and resourceful. I’m sure you can figure something out.”

He resumed walking. Leo pocketed his phone and headed back toward the church.

If he was going to get back May’s heart, then he was going to need a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now Leo wants to get May's heart back. Easier said than done.
> 
> Please review, tell me what you think!


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